#OmanPride: Omani hopes his film on Trump doesn’t come true

More sports Monday 30/January/2017 22:02 PM
By: Times News Service
#OmanPride: Omani hopes his film on Trump doesn’t come true

Muscat: An Omani film student who made a movie about a Donald Trump presidency is hoping the rest of his film’s plot does not come true.
Issa Anees is an Omani who has been studying in America for the last three years.
As a Film Studies major at the New York Film Academy in LA, creating a film depicting the life of a Muslim refugee living in an America under Trump felt more like an obligation and not just course work.
In the film, Trump’s presidency is predicted and a particular task force applies badges on Muslims. In the film, his Yemeni main character changes his name and claims to be a Cuban.
“There are a lot of reasons why I wrote the script the way I did. First of all, I’m a film maker and I have no means of helping the situation, especially in Syria. I told myself I have to do something to bring awareness about this issue. I didn’t want to write about something silly and insubstantial as it would have made me regret my career path,” Issa stated.
The film is about a Yemeni man who is interested in American citizenship. He cannot return home and is seeking refuge in America. He meets a potential woman online for marriage. Once they meet in person, he finds out that she works for immigration.
“All of these terrorist attacks and events really make us feel ashamed and embarrassed. We should be embarrassed. We are not part of these attacks nor do we support such things. We don’t just feel guilty, but even when we wake up in the morning, we try to hide under hoodies and beanies and stay home as much as we can because going out of the house is scary,” Issa said.
In the script, the Yemeni man disowns his nationality, culture and identity to fit into the American society. During the process of self-transformation, he crosses paths with other Muslims seeking help and refuge.
“I never thought this would happen, not even in thirty years. I’m too scared to even pray in the mosque. It’s just scary. If I stay longer I don’t know what will happen. For the Muslims here, the situation is not getting better. Every year is getting worse for Muslims living in America.”
“The ending in my film is so complex and frustrating. At the end, this lady feels for him but she had to do what she had to do because it’s her job.
“My script is a reflection of (reality) today. There are a lot of things that are happening that I would never have expected, so I expect the worst and relayed that in my film,” Issa said.