Director of the film "Hizam" to Al Arabiya.net: Courage and altruism are a legacy passed down between generations

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Saudi director Hossam Al-Zahrani chose, in the film “Belt... The Legacy of Glory,” to narrate heroism from an angle that goes beyond the military field, to what sacrifice leaves in the lives of the martyrs’ families and their children, through a human story linking a military father and his son Faisal, and presenting courage and altruism as a legacy that extends from one generation to another.

The film, which was produced for the Ministry of National Guard and shown coinciding with the Saudi National Day, brings together a number of Saudi artists, including Elham Ali, Fahd bin Salem “Abu Salo”, Muhammad Al-Shehri, Nayef Al-Bahr, Muhannad Al-Saleh, and Fahd Sahm.

Speaking to Al Arabiya.net, Al Zahrani revealed that the idea of ​​the film, written by Raed Al Mutairi, took about 3 years of development, while building the emotional bond between father and son, despite the difference in their worlds between the military field and karate, constituted one of the most prominent challenges of the work.

Regarding the idea from which the film starts and the meaning of its name, Al-Zahrani said: “The film starts from the idea that courage and altruism are a legacy that is transmitted between generations. We follow Hizam, the military man and the father, and then we see his impact on the life of his son Faisal as he faces his challenges and makes his way.”

He explained that the name “Hizam” carries a double meaning, as it is the name of the main character, and at the same time it is linked to the belt of the karate suit that Faisal wears, so that he remains symbolically present in the journey of the father and son.

He added: “We wanted to get closer to the families who bear the impact of sacrifice and continue their lives. The children of the martyrs have dreams and challenges that deserve to be seen and heard, and in their journey there is a deep meaning of courage.”

Al-Zahrani explained that the owner of the film’s idea, Raed Al-Mutairi, worked on developing and maturing it for about three years, before it turned into a visual vision based on the human relationship between father and son.

He said: “It was important that each stage have its own feeling. So we turned to the warm, dusty tones in the military part, and the presence of green in the world of karate, and we worked on linking the two worlds with image and sound, so that the viewer would reach the depth of pride and pride held by the martyrs’ families.”

Regarding the most prominent challenges of filming, he said: “The most prominent challenge was building the emotional bond between Hizam and his son Faisal, despite their different worlds. “It was important for the viewer to feel that the father’s influence continues on his son’s journey, and for the transition from the military field to karate to be natural and impactful.”

He added that achieving this required attention to performance, image and sound, so that the feeling reaches the viewer without relying on dialogue to explain it.

Al-Zahrani revealed the capabilities provided by the Ministry of the National Guard to implement military scenes, explaining that the work benefited from locations and equipment that helped to present the scenes realistically.

He said: “From executing the bombing and shooting scenes, to building the entire control site inside National Guard sites to simulate the environment of the southern border, in addition to filming in the hospital and the command room, these capabilities gave us space to present the scenes realistically.”

After his two experiences, “A Comforter’s Arrow” and “Ten One,” Al-Zahrani believes that the difference in “Hizam” lies in the transfer of the story from the men of the field to the families of the martyrs.

He said: “In previous works, we were talking about our men on the border, and this time we went further, to the families of the martyrs. When someone speaks proudly about his son, father, or brother who was a martyr, you feel the greatness of these feelings. This pride deserves to be told and approached cinematically.”

Al-Zahrani stressed that the national occasion opens the way to bring up stories of heroes in various fields, adding: “This country carries a great history full of stories of heroes that deserve to be told, and heroism extends to all fields; Behind every achievement are people who believed in it, worked hard for it, and contributed to making it happen.”

He believes that the role of cinema is to get closer to the person behind the achievement, which makes the viewer more connected to the story and aware of the value of what its creators have provided.

Al-Zahrani revealed to Al-Arabiya.net that he will move to feature-length cinema in his next project, saying: “I am currently working on writing a feature-length film for cinema, and we have come a long way in developing it with the production company. The film is based on a true story, and we are still working on completing the rights related to it.”

He added that the “Hizam” experience strengthened his desire to get closer to human stories, stressing: “We have many stories, and I aspire that my next step will be a story that I believe in, that the viewer lives and comes out of the film carrying something of the feelings of its heroes.”

At its core, “Hizam... The Legacy of Pride” presents a story about sacrifice and its extended impact within the family, as the relationship between father “Hizam” and his son Faisal turns into a dramatic thread that connects the military field and the world of sports, and re-presents heroism as values ​​that remain present in the children even after the departure of their owners.