Djinn (2013 film)
Djinn | |
---|---|
Directed by | Tobe Hooper |
Written by | David Tully |
Produced by | Daniela Tully Tim Smythe |
Starring | Khalid Laith Razane Jammal |
Cinematography | Joel Ransom |
Edited by | Andrew Cohen Mark Stevens |
Music by | BC Smith |
Production companies | Image Nation FilmWorks |
Release date |
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Running time | 85 minutes |
Country | United Arab Emirates |
Languages | Arabic English |
Budget | US$5 million |
Djinn is a 2013 Emirati supernatural horror film directed by Tobe Hooper and written by David Tully. It is set in the United Arab Emirates and features the djinn. The film, produced by Image Nation, is in both Arabic and English languages. The film's theatrical release has been delayed since 2011. Djinn premiered at the Abu Dhabi Film Festival on 25 October 2013.
The film was Hooper's final directorial effort before his death in 2017.[1]
Plot
In the near future, a young Emirati couple returns to their home country and moves into a high-rise apartment in
Cast
- Khalid Laith
- Razane Jammal
- May Calamawy as Ayisha
- Aiysha Hart
- Carole Abboud
- Paul Luebke as Bobby (backpacker)
- Ahmed Abdullah
- Abdullah Al Junaibi
- Saoud Al Kaabi
Production
Djinn is directed by Tobe Hooper based on a screenplay by David Tully. The project was set up by Imagenation Abu Dhabi (now Image Nation) in February 2011. Emirati director Nayla Al Khaja joined the project as a cultural consultant.[3] The film is the first supernatural thriller film in both English and Arabic languages. Tully said films about the djinn were very uncommon, only recalling Wishmaster (1997). He said Djinn had minimal gore, similar to Hooper's previous films The Texas Chain Saw Massacre (1974) and Poltergeist (1982). Tully came up with the premise for Djinn when an Emirati friend brought him to a village similar to the one in the film. The screenwriter learned about local stories told in the region.[4]
With a production budget of US$5 million,[5] filming began in the United Arab Emirates in late March 2011 and took place at several locations throughout Dubai.[6] The subject matter was treated with caution so it would not offend local values in the different towns where filming took place. In Al Jazira Al Hamra, the cast and crew avoided using the word "djinn" and also taped over the film's title on the director's chair.[2] By late August 2011, the film was in post-production.[7]
Release
In February 2011 Fortissimo Films acquired the right to represent international sales for Image Nation's films, including Djinn.[8] The film had a test screening in December 2011 in London, which 300 moviegoers attended. It was offered "a red-carpet premiere" at the 2011 Dubai International Film Festival but was not screened at the festival. The studio promised a theatrical release in early 2012 then in mid-2012; neither release transpired.[5] The National reported in January 2012 that a website said that Image Nation turned down two distribution offers, but Image Nation denied this and said the film took longer than expected in post-production.[2] In December 2012, The Guardian covered the film's delay and cited multiple reasons. The paper reported that unofficial reasons included people related to Abu Dhabi's royal family finding the film "to be politically subversive", horror films being "seen as totally foreign, culturally speaking" in the United Arab Emirates, and local pride that led to "rewrites and restructuring". Image Nation's CEO Michael Garin denied these reasons and blamed the delay on meeting the Directors Guild of America's requirements.[5]
Sales for Djinn were launched at the 63rd Berlin International Film Festival in February 2013 and continued at the 2013 Cannes Film Festival the following May.[9] The film premiered at the Abu Dhabi Film Festival on October 25, 2013.[10]
Critical reception
Jay Weissberg at
Ronan Doyle at
Marwa Hamad, reviewing for Gulf News, wrote that the film's use of djinns was a welcome change from traditional horror narratives. Hamad wrote, "The gimmicky nature of the film is undeniable, relying on the jump-in-your-seat sort of shockers rather than really messing with its viewers’ psyches ... But that doesn't mean that Djinn failed to break ground." Hamad commended the portrayal of the Westernized Arab couple, "The characters' crisis of nationality and lack of belonging underlies the entirety of the plot." She noted, "In that sense, the movie was able to resonate with—and subsequently instill terror into—a certain segment of viewers who usually benefit from feeling a sense of detachment from horror film victims who look and talk nothing like them."[12]
The website Culture Crypt said: " 'Djinn' is an 'almost there' movie. It possesses building blocks for original terror, though not the courage to double down on its DNA, opting instead to hedge bets with watered-down drama and routine frights. Acting is on point when scenes are spoken in Arabic, but deadened dialogue delivery in English chills chemistry between characters. Like its namesake, 'Djinn' wanders between two worlds, committed to neither and unable to form any fuller than a shadow of what it once was, or what it could have been."[13]
References
- ^ Saperstein, Pat (27 August 2017). "Tobe Hooper, 'Texas Chain Saw Massacre' and 'Poltergeist' Director, Dies at 74". Variety. Retrieved 30 August 2017.
- ^ a b c Ritman, Alex (11 January 2012). "Release of Arabic-English thriller Djinn delayed until summer". The National. Retrieved 11 October 2012.
- ^ McNary, Dave (28 February 2011). "Hooper teams with Imagenation". Variety. Retrieved 11 October 2012.
- ^ Ritman, Alex (3 May 2011). "A visit to the RAK set of the UAE's first major horror movie". The National. Retrieved 11 October 2012.
- ^ a b c Hoad, Phil (12 December 2012). "The disappearance of Djinn, the United Arab Emirates' first horror film". The Guardian. Retrieved 29 December 2012.
- ^ Lodderhose, Diana (28 March 2011). "Laith, Jammal joins 'Djinn'". Variety. Retrieved 11 October 2012.
- ^ Lodderhose, Diana (23 August 2011). "Fortissimo pacts with Imagenation". Variety. Retrieved 11 October 2012.
- ^ Kemp, Stuart (23 August 2011). "Imagenation Abu Dhabi, Fortissimo Films Seal Sales Pact". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 11 October 2012.
- ^ Ritman, Alex (8 April 2013). "UAE-made film Djinn is set to thrill audiences". The National. Retrieved 23 April 2013.
- ^ a b Weissberg, Jay (29 October 2013). "'Djinn' Review: Tobe Hooper's Execrable Ghost Story". Variety. Retrieved 13 November 2013.
- Indiewire. Retrieved 13 November 2013.
- ^ Hamad, Marwa (26 October 2013). "Film review: Djinn". Gulf News. Retrieved 13 November 2013.
- ^ "DJINN (2013)". CULTURE CRYPT. Retrieved 15 December 2021.
External links
- Djinn at IMDb
- Behind the scenes