‘Scent of Gunpowder’ promo to debut at Janadriyah Festival

Shahd Alhamdan JEDDAH - The promo of “Scent of Gunpowder,” the first Saudi war film that follows Saudi journalist Enad Al-Otaibi as he covers Operation Decisive Storm against the Houthi coup in Yemen will debut at Janadriyah Festival which is set to kick off on Feb. 1. The film, directed by Raied Basrawi, follows Saudi soldiers in their efforts to fight the Houthi rebels and also tells stories from the Saudi-Yemeni border region as seen from the eyes of the journalist. The promo of the film will be shown during Janadriyah, said Basrawi who is planning to participate with the film in several local and regional film competitions and festivals. Basrawi, who is a director, fine artist, sculptor and a photographer in his late 30s, told Saudi Gazette that the idea of “Scent of Gunpowder” was Al-Otaibi’s as he wanted to document the efforts of Saudi soldiers in the Southern border region and their sacrifices and efforts to protect the country. “In the film, the journalist is narrating the work and efforts of these soldiers and documenting their work day. Everything we shot was real and there is no acting involved. In total, we have about 3 months of raw footage,” said Basrawi. It took the crew over 6 months to finish filming and one of the most pressing challenges were the risks associated with filming in a war zone, which meant the film crew had to be kept to a bare minimum for safety reasons. He added that military personnel helped in protecting the crew as they shot the film. Basrawi is also working on a new film titled “Saber” which focuses on social issues. He also plans on shooting four short films in 2017.