Although the balance Saudi actress, director and writer Fatima Al-Banawi In the field of cinema, she does not go beyond the two works only, but she searches for different works, “everywhere in the world”, moving between Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Jordan and other countries in order to satisfy her love for cinema.
And last November, Al-Banawi was in Egypt, where she presented her new film work, in which she participated as a director, within the activities of the Cairo International Film Festival. It is also currently moving between Saudi Arabia, the Emirates, Jordan and Egypt, where it is shown Her new movie “Heroes” is in cinemas.
And co-starring in this work, which Rod received positive feedback in His first show at the Red Sea Festival, A group of people with special needs. About this work and art in Saudi Arabia and other topics, Al-Banawi had an interview with Al-Arabiya.net.
A few days ago, your last movie “The Champions” was shown in cinemas. How did you find the reactions?
Indeed, its show began on March 10, and the reactions to it were unusual, even stronger than when it was shown in the first session of the Red Sea Festival in Jeddah. And I was very happy with it, because it is an important movie for me because of its serious and lofty message, even though it is a comedy movie. The work revolves around the personality of “Khaled”, who works as an assistant coach for a large Saudi team, and because of his arrogance, he gets involved in a problem during one of the matches, after which he turns to the Disciplinary Sports Court, to be punished with temporary suspension, and to work as a coach for a non-professional team of players with determination in a school.
Heroes movie poster
Tell us about your role in the film?
I present the character of “Nada”, who is the fiancée of “Khaled”, who receives through this experience a humane lesson that breaks his ego, as he is influenced by people of determination and their kindness and spirit of teamwork and a strong awareness of each other and their coach. As for Nada’s character, it is similar to mine from 20 years ago. I also feel that Nada’s character is very normal, as she is a piano teacher, and her brother is of determination, and she wants to marry and have children like any girl.
What motivated you to participate in this movie, even though the role is normal, as you said?
The film was directed and written by the Spaniard Manuel Calvo and co-prepared by Javier Visser, and it is adapted from a play by the famous Spanish writer David Marquez. Arab and Arab societies. This is the first reason for my enthusiasm for the film, and the second reason is my acting with people of determination. The character that I play, as I said, is normal for any actor, and does not go through many events, but it is challenging at the same time. The normal character is difficult to create a balance between boredom, because it is simple and ordinary, and between fun for the viewer, and this is what I tried to create in a movie. Champions”.
How did you find cooperation with people of determination?
I learned a lot from them, as if I entered a workshop in dealing with the self and the self, and they are masters in dealing with those around them, and they care about all people and express their feelings without shame, and this is what we must learn from them. They taught me to be honest and taught me transparency, they also taught me how to recover from betrayal, and how to ask for an apology if I felt that the one I would apologize to deserves an apology.
It is noticed that you choose different roles, do these roles affect you?
The roles that I embody affect me psychologically, but I try to separate Fatima from the role. The effect can be positive, but it is not always negative. And embodying multiple roles makes me discover myself or qualities inside me and release them, and this is the joy of acting. No one likes to watch superficial characters, because they are boring and silly. I like to create a mood in the character so that it does not become boring and I like to create depth and fun in the character, as I did in my role in the series “60 Minutes”, where I played Sarah, who suffers from postpartum depression. As Fatima, I have not experienced childbirth before, but I searched and read about the details of depression and asked people who went through these circumstances, in addition to my studies in the field of psychology, which helps me a lot in choosing my roles and also embodying them.
Fatima Al Banawi
You are a director and an actress, so how do you face the conflict between the director’s view and the actor’s view within you?
This conflict does happen, but I try to put myself in the shoes of the director I deal with and respect his vision. And the director’s vision is the result of years of work and study. I play different roles, but not every role gives me the same freedom.
For your acting workshops, do you consider academic education important for an actor?
In Saudi Arabia, the vast majority of actors are not graduates of this major, they may have participated in the school theater when they were no more. And I always say to beginners in the field: You can be a beginner, but strong and capable, and prove your worth more than someone else who is said to be a well-known actor, but he is not comfortable with himself and his weaknesses and strengths. They are good actors, but they embody the same roles. On the other hand, there are people who have no background in the field of acting, but they are comfortable in dealing with themselves, and this is the wonderful person in front of the camera. When I participated in the movie “Baraka Meets Baraka”, I had no background in acting, but I was spontaneous, which I try to maintain to this day.
What’s new for you in the coming period?
I am waiting for the screening of the movie “A Long Road” in cinemas, produced by MBC Studios and Image Nation. The film was shown at the Red Sea International Film Festival, and it was also shown within the Saudi Cinema Nights program held by the Red Sea Festival at the King Abdulaziz Center for World Culture ( Ithraa) in Dhahran on March 15th.