Jordan Times
Tuesday, March 9, 2010
'Hurt Locker' bags 6
Oscars in win for Kingdom
By Taylor Luck
AMMAN - The 82nd Academy Awards proved a big win for the Kingdom, with "The Hurt
Locker" receiving six Oscars, including Best Picture.
On one of the world’s largest stages, shortly after becoming the first woman to
win Best Director in the award's history, "The Hurt Locker" director Kathryn
Bigelow paid tribute to the Kingdom’s hospitality.
“If I could also just thank… the people of Jordan who were so hospitable to us
when we were shooting,” said Bigelow yesterday as she accepted the Academy
Award.
Accepting awards for "The Hurt Locker", which was filmed in Jordan over two
months in 2007, members of the film's core production team thanked Jordanian
cast and crew for the essential role they played in the film, which tells the
story of American bomb disposal technicians in Iraq.
Production Sound Mixer Ray Beckett, accepting the film’s Best Sound Mixing
Award, singled out praise for Baha Othman, head of the Sound Department at the
Red Sea Institute of Cinematic Arts in Aqaba, who recorded sound effects for the
film.
Saying the distinction came as a “surprise”, Othman said the win was “huge” for
the close-knit international and Jordanian crew, which worked long hours to make
the film a success.
“The most important thing was that the film won. A win for ‘The Hurt Locker’ is
a win for Jordan,” he said.
Although he fell asleep trying to follow the awards ceremony, which began at
3:30am Jordan time, Othman was informed of the film’s award haul and his on-air
mention by phone calls and text messages from colleagues and friends “from
around the world”.
He said the distinction served to demonstrate the skills of people in the
Jordanian film industry, and to give confidence that Jordanian production staff
and filmmakers can deliver.
“It was important to prove that we, as Jordanians, could do the job,” he said,
adding that he was first hired to work on the film as an assistant.
As authenticity and accuracy were priorities for “The Hurt Locker”, Othman
scoured Amman for neighbourhoods and markets frequented by Iraqis, such as
downtown and Raghdan, to have authentic Iraqi dialects in the background. He was
quickly promoted by Beckett to sound effects recorder, he said.
As part of his duties, Othman spent weeks wandering the deserts to record wind,
sandstorms, the call to prayer, and even the occasional train in order to
provide the sound effects for Iraq’s deserts.
There is a “huge positive energy” surrounding those who were involved in the
film and the entire industry in Jordan, he said, expressing hope that the
distinction inspires aspiring local filmmakers.
Othman also pledged to take students to work with him on future productions in
the Kingdom to get hands-on experience.
“This experience served as training for the people who will carry the local film
industry,” he said.
Consultant Fuad Khalil, who selected areas in east Amman, the desert of Swaqa,
southern Amman and Madaba to be transformed into scenes of war-ravaged Iraq,
said the win would boost the Kingdom’s profile as a filming location.
“People across the world have seen Jordan, and there are many more diverse and
beautiful sites the Kingdom has to offer,” he said.
Jordanian cast members have also woken up to accolades from colleagues and
friends. Ibrahim Mashaal, who played an extra in the feature film, said he was
surprised at the attention the movie has gathered.
“I literally cannot believe it. People were calling me up today telling me that
I was part of an Academy Award-winning movie,” Mashaal told The Jordan Times.
Mashaal was one of over 200 Jordanians cast in various supporting roles and as
extras, casting director Lara Atalla told The Jordan Times previously.
“This really shows to the world the Jordanian acting talent we have,” she said.
HRH Princess Rym Ali, member of the Royal Film Commission’s (RFC) Board of
Commissioners, expressed hope that the Oscar nods for “The Hurt Locker” will be
another step in the development of the local film industry.
“It is not only about leaving our mark internationally but also about
establishing our stories, owning them and making sure we have a cultural legacy
to pass on to our future generations through film,” Princess Rym said in an RFC
statement.
It is estimated some $7 million was spent on the film in Jordan, according to
the RFC, but the more valuable, intangible benefit was the experience and
on-the-job training for dozens of cast and crew.
“The Hurt Locker” won Oscars for Best Picture, Best Director, Best Original
Screenplay, Best Sound Mixing, Best Sound Editing and Best Film Editing.
Jordan has an established track record as providing the background for
Oscar-winning movies. “Lawrence of Arabia”, directed by David Lean, won seven
Oscars in 1963, while Steven Spielberg’s film “Indiana Jones and the Last
Crusade” received one Oscar in 1990.