Qatari actor gets role in Black Gold Friday, 29 October 2010 06:24

BY RAYNALD C RIVERA

DOHA: Qatari Mohammed Ali Ibrahim (pictured) has landed in a role in acclaimed filmmaker Jean-Jacques Annaud’s $55m epic film “Black Gold”.

Mohammed Ali Ibrahim was one of the 40 hopefuls who took part in a two-day casting in Qatar for two roles in the movie which according to international movie producer Tarak Ben Ammar were ‘minor but important roles.’

Ben Ammar’s Quinta Communications and the Doha Film Institute are co-producing the film, some action and desert scenes will be shot in Qatar in January next year.

Ibrahim is not new to the film industry having made a number of short films in Qatar but he admitted this was his first time to audition for a part in a film and landing in the role came to him as a surprise.

“I’m surprised; I’ve never been into acting before. I’m honoured to be part of this monumental film,” he said, adding he was not the first Qatari who had ventured into acting such as martial arts actor Ahmad Al Sulaiti.

Video of some of the actual audition sessions was shown during Doha Talks on ‘Emerging Actors, Emerging Stars’ yesterday in which Ibrahim’s performance stood out, that even Ben Ammar himself was impressed.

In the film Ibrahim will be playing the role of an aide de camp in his 20s while another budding actor Helmy Ibrahim would play an Arab soldier.

The result was revealed by Freida Pinto, who will feature in the film as Princes Lallah daughter of King Nessib played by Hollywood bigwig Antonio Banderas. Other featured actors in the film are Tahar Rahim, Mark Strong, Riz Ahmed and Liya Kebede. “Nothing is impossible; we just have to continue dreaming,” Ibrahim said.

Asked whether he wanted to pursue acting seriously he said: “I don’t know yet. We’ll see in the future.” The Peninsula