His dreams began in childhood, and his future visions grew with him, until he was able to achieve them skillfully in the world of directing advertisements. His efforts culminated in him obtaining many international awards in this field, but advertisement director Omar Hilal recently decided to follow his dream of directing feature films, adhering to In the words of Antoine Dusaint from the novel The Little Prince: “Let the dream devour your life, so that life does not devour your dreams.” What prompted him to direct and write his first feature film, “Foy, Foy, Foy,” starring Mohamed Farrag and Nelly Karim.
At the beginning of an interview with Asharq Al-Awsat newspaper, Hilal spoke in the Saudi Najdi dialect, which he mastered during his upbringing and studies in the city of Riyadh, before moving to his native country, Egypt, and then Italy, where he arrived to continue the journey of his family and artistic life.
Hilal says that his passion for the world of directing began at the age of 12, and this passion became clear when he was photographing his mother and brother at the Eiffel Tower in Paris, and he chose specific scenes for them and turned them into a comic story, telling their experiences and expressing their feelings.
The graduate of the American University, Department of Journalism and Media, confirmed during his speech that Saudi Arabia was the turning point in his professional life, as he said: “I started as a photographer, then I traveled to Italy and worked as a director on one of the Arab satellite stations, but in reality I was looking for cinema there, and after… Then, a job opportunity came to me in the city of Riyadh, but after a period of time I decided to pursue my dream of directing, so I returned to Egypt, and in one day and one night I transformed from an advertising writer to an advertising director who won many awards from several countries, as these advertisements were distinguished by the fact that they carried a story just like movies. The short one.
Helal pointed out that his transition from directing advertisements to cinema was not difficult, as he was accustomed to dealing with celebrities, but the challenge was that writing and directing the film, as it is considered something bigger than advertisements. Although he did not study screenwriting and directing, his work in advertisements spoke through its creativity.
Helal says that his experience in directing his first feature film, “Foy, Foy, Foy,” came late, as the idea for the film, which will be shown in Egypt on September 13, and in the Gulf countries on September 21, came after he read in the Egyptian media about the Bell Football team scandal. For the blind people who traveled to Poland in 2015 to participate in an international tournament, but they escaped and did not return to Egypt, and it was later discovered that they were sighted. The film is a joint production between “Film Clinic” and “Fox Studios Image Nation Abu Dhabi.”
Hilal continued: “I was very excited about this story, but due to personal circumstances, I postponed writing the story and script to 2019, and I agreed with producer Hefzy to start filming the film, but due to the circumstances of the (Covid-19) pandemic and the precautionary measures imposed in all countries of the world to prevent the spread of the virus.” The start of work was delayed, and we did not finish filming it until October 2022.”
Helal wanted to convey a message to the viewer of the movie “Foy, Foy, Foy” that the instinct for survival is rooted in the Egyptian citizen, with all the feelings of fear and experience of pain it carries, and that the survival skills (of the Egyptian Fahlawa) are light-hearted and intelligent, and always carry the element of surprise. He said: “These The story, if anyone heard it, would be sure to guess that it came from Egypt; Because of its intelligence and wit.
Helal addressed his message to young people who wish to enter the field of film industry, saying: “If you have a passion for cinema, start immediately,” while he called on filmmakers to work hard to make films with meaning, purpose and story, and to return Egyptian films to their glory, and to compete for local and international awards to immortalize Egyptian cinema and its status. In the ranks of international cinemas.
At the conclusion of his speech, Hilal described the artistic movement taking place in Saudi Arabia as a positive explosion in all fields, and said: “Saudi Arabia is coming in the film industry, and the Arab world must rise up to make films at international levels.”
