Director and author Haitham Al-Amin : If realism is a transgression, then welcome to transgression

Some Sudanese audiences are contradictory

Drama is a mirror of the society, not just for entertainment

Sudan Events- Interview :Magda Hassan

A new career has begun to the Sudanese drama, which we sense through dramatic works, especially serials.
While critics see them as works that cross the red lines of Sudanese drama, their makers see them as realistic works that express their era and reality.
Among these drama writers and director is Haitham Al-Amin, who is keen on realism in his works, something that some consider transgressing. For red lines,. Haitham’s first television dramatic work was the series( Way of loss ) Sikat Dayia then Ramadan 2023 was the series (Son of Mekk ), then the series (Parallel World), and currently the series (Fragile Nerve), which was attacked as soon as it was promoted in this space, Haitham Al-Amin’s vision of everything presented and presented.
Regarding the current issue of controversial scenes from the latest series (A Fragile Nerve) that is being shown these days have spread, and I received a violent attack. What is your comment?
As for the scenes that spread, I see that they are very normal scenes.
I mean, what is wrong on a conversation between a husband and his wife in bedroom .
Oh! Brothers, it is enough of the social hypocrisy, because what is happening in reality is much worse.
I am presenting a status of a dramatic scene of people criticizing, let them watch the Tok Tok platform and see what is happening in reality and not an act.
I do not know when we as Sudanese will reconcile with ourselves and accept ourselves with good and bad, even when we will live in the illusion that we are the best people and we are not like us.
The closest example is that this war reflected facts that we have been burying our heads in the sand for all our lives.
Why do you see your controversial drama?
My own vision is that any dramatic work that does not shed light on societal issues and is not characterized by realism does not rise to the level of being a real dramatic work.
The role of drama is not limited to being a status of entertaining society, but rather drama is like a mirror of society that reflects all its situations, whether positive or negative.
When national television was the only gateway to drama, it had a censor to set red lines. In your opinion, have you crossed them now?
Throughout the last years, the scissors of the Sudanese TV censor have continued to shackle and restrict the dramatic work, which created a state of dramatic impoverishment, the effects of which were directly reflected on the dramatists and the audience, which made the Sudanese audience turn to Egyptian and Turkish drama in search of realism.
You said that the audience turned to Egyptian and Turkish drama in search of realism, and the same realism is rejected in Sudanese dramatic work.
What is the reason in your opinion?
This is exactly what is happening, because the Sudanese drama that was being presented was directed to serve a specific line.
Sudanese drama did not progress in the eyes of the viewer.
It moved from one extreme to the other. Is this what is called crossing red lines, in your opinion?
If the discussion is social issues that have a significant impact on society, and even harm society to the point of classifying them as issues that are kept silent about and decorating them with these red lines for fear of delving into their corridors and burying heads in the sand for fear of confronting them, if that is considered transgression, then welcome transgression .
What is unacceptable to you about foreign drama? Does the Sudanese viewer suffer from schizophrenia?
Some of the Sudanese audience, unfortunately, continues to suffer from a status of schizophrenia and a terrible contradiction.
All their red lines and all transgressions fall away when they watch Egyptian, Turkish, and Indian dramas, and their red lines are restored as soon as they watch their drama. Mostly, it is the foreigner knot.
Prove your presence over several seasons. How did you overcome the obstacle of financing and production?
I’m through you, would like to thank all the dramaturists for their patience and for enduring a lot of pressure in order to present their works in the absence of the minimum production capabilities, and in the absence of production companies.
How did you overcome the production obstacle?
We rely on our own production and our available capabilities, and because of this, there are often technical deficiencies in very many details as a result of the lack of production aids and capabilities.
Male and female singers entering the field of acting, is it to address their audience in order to attract viewers, and what is your view on that?
The entry of talented singers into the field is a natural thing and a form of keeping up, in addition to the fact that the drama has a large audience, and therefore there is a large audience gain for the singer.