Rami Yassin: A Fire in My House Inspired Bloodline

Rami Yassin: A Fire in My House Inspired Bloodline
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Rami Yassin: A Fire in My House Inspired Bloodline

Rami Yassin: A Fire in My House Inspired Bloodline

Jordanian director Rami Yassin says that the fire that broke out in his house and his mother's heroic response, saving him and his brother, inspired his latest film Khat Dam (Bloodline). The film sparked widespread controversy in the Arab world after it was marketed as the first Arab vampire movie.

In an interview with Asharq Al-Awsat, Yassin explains that a number of the scenes that were mocked by some were "black comedy" scenes that had been intended to be funny.

The movie, which is currently available on a digital platform, tells the story of a married couple, Nader and Lamia. After a car accident, one of the couple's twin sons goes into a coma that lasts for about a year and a half, with no hope for recovery. So, the couple decides to turn their son into a vampire! The plan works, and the son awakens from his coma, setting off a series of events that change the family forever.

Yassin starts by saying: "I have been a fan of horror movies since childhood, especially vampire movies, but I also love deep drama films that reflect the human condition and mirror society. I have always wanted to combine the two styles and make a drama thriller."

On his childhood inspiring the film, he says: "While my father was at work at the television station, and my mother was breastfeeding my younger brother upstairs, my other brother and I were playing with matches in the basement, which started a fire in the house. To save us from certain death, my mother showed supernatural heroism. So I grew up with the idea that a mother can do the impossible to protect her family. That is how the film's idea crystallized in my mind, and I liked it because it is new and had never been incorporated into the world of vampire movies before."

Vampires were featured before in Arab cinema, in the Egyptian film 1993 Anyab (Teeth), directed by Muhammad Shibl and starring Ali Al-Hajjar, Ahmed Adawiya, and Mona Gabr. However, Yassin believes that “the film is a new step in the world of Arab cinema, not just because of the subject; but also because of the character development, plot, cinematography, location, and even the makeup and costumes. I wanted to present it in a modern setting, but classically, so I expected to receive mixed reactions. Many enjoyed the film and loved its novel style, and others did not like it. The important thing is that the film generated debate, and this is something that filmmakers love.”

Yassin says he has the right to present his film in line with his personal artistic vision. People also have every right to express their opinion, saying: “When I directed the film, my goal was not to present a pure horror movie, but a film that mixed drama with thrilling horror, and I wanted to draw viewers in by telling the story one scene after the other.”

In response to the sharp criticism of the film, he says: "The film is not made for a mainstream audience, but for those who love this type of film, which is a drama mixed with classic, thrilling horror. Even the scenes that made some people laugh were deliberate. They were meant to give some space for what we call black comedy situations."

Yassin considers himself lucky because Egyptian actress Nelly Karim and Tunisian star Zafer El Abidine accepted roles in the film: "Since the first day of filming, I could see my characters, Lamia and Nader, as I had imagined them. I even was calling them by their characters' names the entire time. Their performances exceeded all my expectations, of course. I do not think that anyone else could have played these two characters with the same depth and played the roles precisely as I wanted."



Harris Tries to Thread the Needle on Gaza After Meeting with Netanyahu 

US Vice President Kamala Harris meets with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu at the Eisenhower Executive Office Building on the White House grounds, in Washington, DC, US, July 25, 2024. (Reuters)
US Vice President Kamala Harris meets with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu at the Eisenhower Executive Office Building on the White House grounds, in Washington, DC, US, July 25, 2024. (Reuters)
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Harris Tries to Thread the Needle on Gaza After Meeting with Netanyahu 

US Vice President Kamala Harris meets with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu at the Eisenhower Executive Office Building on the White House grounds, in Washington, DC, US, July 25, 2024. (Reuters)
US Vice President Kamala Harris meets with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu at the Eisenhower Executive Office Building on the White House grounds, in Washington, DC, US, July 25, 2024. (Reuters)

Vice President Kamala Harris, the likely Democratic nominee for president, is attempting to bridge divides within the party over the war in Gaza, emphasizing Israel's right to defend itself while also focusing on alleviating Palestinian suffering.

She delivered remarks after meeting with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Thursday that reflected a delicate balancing act on one of the country's most divisive political issues. Some Democrats have been critical of President Joe Biden's steadfast support for Israel despite the increasing death toll among Palestinians, and Harris is trying to unite her party for the election battle with Republican candidate Donald Trump.

"We cannot look away in the face of these tragedies," she said. "We cannot allow ourselves to become numb to the suffering. And I will not be silent."

Harris did not deviate from the administration's approach to the conflict, including grueling negotiations aimed at ending the fighting, releasing hostages held by Hamas and eventually rebuilding Gaza. She also said nothing about military assistance for Israel, which some Democrats want to cut.

Instead, she tried to refocus the conversation around mitigating the calamity in Gaza, and she used language intended to nudge Americans toward an elusive middle ground.

"The war in Gaza is not a binary issue," she said. "But too often, the conversation is binary when the reality is anything but."

In addition, Harris made a more explicit appeal to voters who have been frustrated by the ceaseless bloodshed, which began when Hamas attacked Israel on Oct. 7.

"To everyone who has been calling for a ceasefire, and to everyone who yearns for peace, I see you, and I hear you," she said.

Harris' meeting with Netanyahu was private, and she described it as "frank and constructive." She also emphasized her longtime support for Israel, which includes raising money to plant trees in the country when she was a young girl.

Jewish Americans traditionally lean Democratic, but Republicans have tried to make inroads. Trump claimed this week that Harris "is totally against the Jewish people" because she didn't attend Netanyahu's address to a joint meeting of Congress. The vice president was traveling in Indiana during the speech.

Harris is married to a Jewish man, Doug Emhoff, who has played an outspoken role in the administration's efforts to combat antisemitism.

Netanyahu did not speak publicly after his meeting with Harris. His trip was scheduled before Biden dropped his reelection bid, but the meeting with Harris was watched closely for clues to her views on Israel.

"She is in a tricky situation and walking a tightrope where she’s still the vice president and the president really is the one who leads on the foreign policy agenda," said Dearborn Mayor Abdullah Hammoud, a Democrat whose city is home to one of the largest Arab American communities in the nation. "But as the candidate, the presumptive nominee, she has to now create the space to differentiate in order for her to chart a new course."

Protesters gathered outside Union Station on the day of Netanyahu's speech, ripping down American flags and spray painting "Hamas is coming."

Harris sharply criticized those actions, saying there were "despicable acts by unpatriotic protesters and dangerous hate-fueled rhetoric. "

"I support the right to peacefully protest, but let’s be clear: Antisemitism, hate and violence of any kind have no place in our nation," she said in a statement.

As vice president, Harris has tried to show little daylight between herself and Biden. But David Rothkopf, a foreign policy writer who has met with her, said there's been "a noticeable difference in tone, particularly in regards to concern for the plight of innocent Palestinians."

The difference was on display in Selma, Alabama, in March, when Harris commemorated the anniversary of the Bloody Sunday march for voting rights in 1965.

During her speech, Harris said that "given the immense scale of suffering in Gaza, there must be an immediate ceasefire."

The audience broke out in applause. A few sentences later, Harris emphasized that it was up to Hamas to accept the deal that had been offered. But her demand for a ceasefire still resonated in ways that Biden's comments had not.

An AP-NORC poll conducted in June found that about 6 in 10 Democrats disapproved of the way Biden is handling the conflict between the Israelis and the Palestinians. Roughly the same number said Israel's military response in Gaza had gone too far.

Israeli analysts said they doubted that Harris would present a dramatic shift in policies toward their country.

Chuck Freilich, a former Israeli deputy national security adviser and senior fellow at the Institute for National Security Studies, a Tel Aviv think tank, said Harris was from a generation of American politicians who felt they could both support Israel and publicly criticize its policies.

"The question is as president, what would she do?" Freilich said. "I think she would put considerably more pressure on Israel on the Palestinian issue overall."