Progressive Filmmaking

STOP AND SEARCH: KNOW YOUR RIGHTS 1/7

2009-09-02T04:24:00.000-07:00

NAPOLEON IN NEWCASTLE, HITTIN' THE STREETS

2009-08-21T11:05:00.000-07:00

NAPOLEON IN NEWCASTLE, HITTIN' DA STREETS from yacine helali on Vimeo.

2009-08-20T08:06:00.000-07:00

My article about Ramadhan for the BBC website

2009-08-20T08:01:00.000-07:00

A Personal view of Ramadhan

Let me reach Ramadhan…alive!

I shall wake up on the first day of Ramadhan and sleep not, or little, for 30 days. My stomach may be apprehensive, but my heart is already wide open, ready to enjoy the peace and blessings of this month, the best of the twelve. Whether practising or not practising, whatever the lifestyle, Ramadhan is certainly a very special time for Muslims. From dawn to sunset, no food nor drink go past our throats. Achieving this demands discipline and strength but it is mainly a matter of faith. For us Muslims, Ramadhan is not a time of fatigue, instead it is the time par excellence where we are recharging our batteries. Essentially Ramadhan helps us slow down the motion of our busy lives and reflect. Contemplating on ourselves and our place in the universe, we detach ourselves from the material world. Day after day we calm down and our heads get clearer and clearer, extra lucid about the truth of life. Extra conscious we become and get to spend extra charities for the poor and needy. This is just an intense and deep experience to be able to understand and feel for the people who fast not by choice, but out of poverty. Out of empathy we tend to spend so much more in charity. Ramadhan is the month of liberation. A whole community of believers fast together and whatever the colour or nationality that gives us a sense of unity. Whatever his or her colour or religion let me share some food and some time with my neighbour. Ramadhan is a time where we go back to basics, when we go back to the source. We spend more time with the family. You just cannot eat by yourself! Ramadhan is the month of inner truth. The Noble Qur’an was revealed during this month and for that reason it makes a lot of sense to us. In the most obvious and practical manner, Ramadhan demonstrates the core values of Islam which are the faith in the one true God, and to be compassionate, just and charitable. I shall wake on the first day and remember: “Oh mankind! We created you from a single of a male and a female, and made you into nations and tribes, that ye may know each other. Verily the most honoured of you in the sight of Allah (God) is the most righteous of you. And Allah (God) has full knowledge & is well acquainted” (Noble Quran, 49:13).

Let me reach Ramadhan…alive…and if i were to die let it be during Ramadhan.

Yacine Helali is a French Algerian filmmaker living in the West End of Newcastle. He is currently working on grassroots projects with the Islamic Diversity Centre, Newcastle. You can see some of his work at www.helalifilms.tumblr.com .

http://news.bbc.co.uk/local/tyne/hi/people_and_places/religion_and_ethics/newsid_8210000/8210064.stm

ITV's coverage of my short film

2008-10-04T17:34:00.000-07:00

Scroll down the page to watch the short film "Down the Road"...

"Down the Road" the short film

2008-10-03T06:38:00.000-07:00

Down the Road the short film from yacine helali on Vimeo.

Excerpt from the press release - 23rd September 2008

"Yacine Helali, 30, is a French-Algerian filmmaker who created a film about the West End of Newcastle that he hopes will challenge people’s perceptions of Islam and the Muslim community.

He said: “I have the same concerns that the Muslim community as a whole has about how the media misrepresents us. I just wanted to show that the reality is different. It is a social responsibility for Muslims to interact and benefit the society they live in to keep the youth off the streets and engage with them.

“Through this short film I wanted to show that we can coexist. People on the street find a way to meet and explore each other. Individuals and groups are doing things to improve cohesion in the community. This film demonstrates that people have plenty in common, contrary to what we often hear. We have the same concerns, the same hopes.”

Yacine, who lives with wife Zofta and 17-month-old daughter Nusaybah, in Fenham, works for IDC - a charity that raises awareness about Islam and helps young people avoid the dangers of gang culture and anti-social behaviour.

He said: “I’ve come to the UK during a time when people feel invaded by foreigners so there has been a mixed response. I like living in Newcastle.

“I like Geordie people, I appreciate them, Newcastle is a city where people are approachable. But the reality is you will find a mixture of feelings from local people.
“But I believe that even though there is an economic crisis we can still promote cohesion among the communities. Through my work with IDC, we get a fantastic response and can see the changes in people’s thoughts about Islam as they learn more.”

Help us make it happen

A note from the Filmmaker

Whether you are a Muslim and want to invest in your Hereafter or a brother or a sister in Humanity and believe in what we are trying to create, we need your help to make things happen.

Whatever your contribution, even a few words of encouragement, we would appreciate it. Support our up and coming productions, including a series of short documentaries and fascinating stories about people who have chosen Islam as a way of life. We also want to produce a road-movie documentary exploring the real thoughts and feelings of the Muslim community in the UK.

We plan to create a training course, (don't worry it's fun!!) to help the wider community understand what Islam really is about beyond the spins, the twists and the common misconceptions.

Finally, we've been working in partnership with an orphanage the Maygoma, in Khartoum, Sudan, and want to highlight the critical situation these Sudanese kids are living in due to the devastating effects of the conflict in Darfur.

Supporters will receive special access to early shots of the films and documentaries, and in addition, behind the scenes information, (just like DVD extras, but frequently updated).

If you want to help or want to get in touch, please contact me by email at yacine.helali@gmail.com.

Kind regards

Yacine Helali

My most recent piece of work

2008-10-01T07:30:00.001-07:00

September 2008.

An insight on what I've been working on in the last two years.

Sky Fighters' Title Sequence

2008-09-29T06:20:00.000-07:00

Short and sweet! This piece of animation has been created by "La Maison" a French company which worked 7 months on this feature film.

Hope that triggers your creative flow, or at least inspires you some respect for the hard work.

Taken from "The art of the title sequence" www.artofthetitle.com

A Collaboration

2008-09-28T18:00:00.000-07:00

March 2008.

Mission: An video animation of approximately 1 minute with the aim of introducing the Islamic Diversity Centre (IDC) Newcastle.

Limited time and virtually no budget meant that we had to be resourceful to say the least.

The video had been screened at a live event at St James Park Newcastle where IDC invited an ex-rapper, Mutah Napoleon Beale, Tupac Shakur' co singer, to do a motivational talk. The event was specifically designed for the youth and its objective was to tackle gang and gun culture.

Difficult to complete but in the end the making of this animation was the beginning of a friendship between Mike Hadfield (graphic designer) and myself (concept and screenwriter).

Listen son...

2008-09-28T16:21:00.000-07:00

Photo Credit: Alberto Puliafito

Excerpt from a an interview of Stu Maschwitz by Digital Arts Online:

Q. "What’s the best advice you’ve been given?"

A. "On my first video my producer caught me pacing nervously, and he told me to sit down whenever possible. There are times when, as a director, the only way you can help move things along is to get out of the way. He taught me to save my energy for when I’d need it."

That is truly a pearl of wisdom taken directly from experience which I can only agree with... we learn the hard way sometimes.

To read the full interview go to:

http://www.digitalartsonline.co.uk/features/index.cfm?FeatureID=1762