* I can say that I moved a lot of stagnant waters and pushed towards trying to make a good business
* Optimistic about new experiences emerging from the mantle of government production
* I am not very happy to advise and give suggestions, but there is a fact that we are not good at telling our stories
* I call for raising the ceiling of expression and increasing the space for movement in the ways of many topics without fear of the idea of offending
* Any shortcoming in any aspect of the drama is a reflection of the imbalance in the entire production system
“Saudi Women” magazine interviews artist and content creator Abdul Majeed Al-Kinani to express his opinion about the image of women in drama, and before entering into the dialogue, it is important to point out the increase in societal awareness about the image of women in drama, as society is now more aware of dealing with negative stereotypes. In most of its seasons, I find that it is a critical material that deserves stopping due to the accuracy of the offering and its closeness to the audience and the young generation that is not deceived by the fluidity of the competitions and is not dazzled by the glamor of the screens.. Hello Abdul Majeed:
* How do you find the presence of Saudi women in dramas, whether as acting and talent or as roles?
** First, let us agree that any shortcomings in one aspect of the drama is a reflection of the imbalance in the entire production system, starting with the story and script and ending with directing through the rest of the production stages.
Therefore, we must ask the question: Are we facing dramas that present a full-fledged story? Or are we in front of the installation of scenes saturated with the issues of the era in our belief that we are discussing a societal issue? Without paying attention to the most important pillar of the drama, which is the story!
From here, we can see that the presence of Saudi women in many dramas comes in isolation from the story, as if it is presented in itself as an issue, and this, in my opinion, is a fatal mistake, not to mention the perpetuation of a stereotyped image of the role and presence of women, or, on the contrary, exaggeration in showing the natural side of it, which results in loss. for balance.
As for talent, there is certainly a major shortcoming stemming from several factors and social and technical considerations, especially since her appearance on stage is a very recent matter, not to mention the factors of the lack of platforms to train and hone talent.
* What do Saudi women need to enter the field of drama? Whether a writer, actress or director?
** Definitely talent in the first place, and recently the scene witnessed distinguished names in the fields of multiple arts, such as Hana Al-Omair as a director, Ilham Ali as an actress, and others, and it is also important to enhance the role through theater because theater has a very big role in refining artistic talents by representation, an important point that I want to refer to It is represented in the fact that the director or writer does not necessarily have to be a woman, so that her production is dedicated and devoted to showing women and neglecting other artistic experiences that touch on all stories in general.
* Many dramas tend to portray only the negative side of the Saudi woman's personality, or to overdo the ideal image. Where is the imbalance? And how do producers get around this, in your opinion?
** The problem here lies in a strange aspect, in fact, which is that dealing with Saudi women is considered an exciting topic in the arena, as these topics may be deliberately chosen for the sake of marketing and publishing without caring for the artistic value, and in my belief this is largely opportunistic and does not contribute to Building an influential dramatic work, and may even be a factor in the masses’ reluctance to support any work in which there is a role for Saudi women, as the exciting topics in the arena are often a focus of attraction and follow-up, but they are not a focus of support and influence, so the matter is more like using women as a marketing commodity for the artistic product and not as an auxiliary construction factor. .
* You contributed through your programs on YouTube for years in monitoring dramatic errors. Did you find a response from the producers? And did you face problems because of your honesty?
** It may be the first time that I say it in this way with all humility and love. I think after years of the program, I can say that I moved a lot of stagnant waters and pushed towards trying to create good businesses that deviate from the mainstream, and certainly there are counter reactions that may cause minor problems, but they are He got over it quickly, thank God.
* How do you see the future of Saudi drama? Will the presence of platforms such as “Netflix” be a supportive factor for its emergence and spread?
** I am optimistic about the new experiences emerging from the mantle of government and semi-governmental production, especially since there are serious attempts to produce good works, especially in platforms that rely on audience subscriptions, as they create a somewhat free space in competition away from the influence of the advertiser and the influence of the channel manager, and I hope that he will move The market is better, and Saudi cinematic films may be a catalyst for increasing movement in the market, since cinematic production creates more space for producers and artists to move in choosing their topics and winning the audience’s bet directly. Because the main support will be via the box office.
* Do you think we are late in professionalizing acting? Like the Syrian drama? Is the situation still mere relationships, acquaintances and jurisprudence far from serious dramatic work?
** Not only in humiliation, but in creating a market equal to the size of our country and the diversity of our audience, and I always say that good industry requires an open market and this is what we seek for the artistic movement in Saudi Arabia to follow, and God willing, it is on its way to that.
* Dramatic works lack the presence of the psychological and social aspect, which causes aversion or withdrawal from watching artistic works. What is your advice to producers about this, especially in light of the competition of international works of art and their superiority in attracting the local audience?
** I am not very happy to advise and give suggestions, but there is a fact that in one way or another we are not good at telling our stories, and looking at the most important and successful dramas in the world, we will find that the story is the main nerve, it is the solid structure, it is the first pleasure before directing, and before other technical factors, and the story It serves as the framework within which the characters move with all their differences, and it is the path that determines their transformations and their psychological and material dimensions. Therefore, I advise myself first and the rest of my colleagues in the field to pay attention to telling our stories without overwhelming them unspontaneously with ideas and issues that are far from the essence of the story.
* If you were given a magic wand to change the Saudi drama, what would Abdul Majeed change first?
** I think that it will be the abolition of direct government baptism and the activation of the role of the theater, and most importantly raising the ceiling of expression and increasing the space for movement in the ways of many topics without fear of the idea of abuse that has been exaggerated and the artist has become moving as if he is in a minefield, and this is an environment that repels creativity.
I interviewed him: Dr. Areej Al-Juhani @areejaljahani