Weddings and Beheadings

Wed 17 Jan 2007 9pm-9.15pm
Dark, satirical screenplay that follows a young Iraqi filmmaker Ahmed (Mimoun Oaissa) undergoing a personal crisis as he contemplates his unorthodox employment: filming beheadings.

Written by Hanif Kureishi and directed by Amir Jamal.

Oaissa offers candid thoughts on life, death and art from his basement bedroom as he waits for his next shoot. His predicament serves as a poignant metaphor for anyone caught in a battle between their inner desires and the demands of the outside world, and echoes the disastrous consequences of the invasion of Iraq.

Director Amir Jamal writes:

"Most filmmakers I've spoken to recently get quite agitated when questioned about the role of small camcorders in professional work. One prevalent view is that their seemingly ubiquitous presence is simply a cynical cost-cutting exercise that has led to a decline in 'standards'. Others seem to have a slightly disingenuous enthusiasm for exploring the internal mechanics of these contraptions, and trying their best to recreate the 'real thing'.

For me they are simply a different visual texture, as valid as the difference between charcoal sketches on paper, and oil paintings on canvas. They have also introduced the concept of the Video Diary - something that implies intimacy, reflection, and rare moments of solitude. The idea of capturing these qualities in a drama has always intrigued me, and formed the basis of interpreting the script for 'Weddings and Beheadings'.