Interview with Producer Abrar Hussain
Emdad Rahman
One Day in the Haram is the extraordinary story of the
Haram in Makkah.
For the first time in history, viewers witness the inner
workings of the Haram, as seen through the eyes of the workers, over a full
day period.
Director Abrar Hussain spent over a year researching
different aspects of the Haram, to bring about the most complete and compelling
vision of the Haram ever produced.
Packed with knowledge and never before seen footage, this
is a film that anyone with even a passing interest in Islam must see.
Abrar has lot of plans in the pipeline. The film was
actually shot for cinema exhibition to provide a unique and inclusive
experience. He said, “I wanted to create a togetherness whilst viewing so the
cinema tours are very important. Next up is Australia and then Canada and we
are looking at France and mainland Europe.”
At the end of Ramadan an Indonesian tv provider
broadcasted One Day In the Haram on the day of Eid to ten million people.
Naturally Abrar is delighted, “The film was made for every Muslim and non
Muslim and we are simply delighted to get it out to everyone.
“I’m grateful as a film maker to have made one film like
this and I feel totally blessed. Even if I never get to make another film in
the future I'm still very happy knowing I made One Day In The Haram.”
“The UK charity Islamic Help - it’s marketing manager
Toyris Miah, along with broadcaster and presenter Rahim Jung were the first two
people outside of my team to view the film. They said ‘we love it and want to
take it to the community via cinema.’ And so we made it happen.”
Abrar has always been fascinated by film and
cinematography, “I remember recording birthdays and family functions as a ten
year old. As I grew older I started to pick up bigger and more advanced cameras
- If you have a passion for something then you should chase it. I did.”
Abrar admits he has “too many influences,” when it comes
to directors who have shaped his work - “There’s Martin Scorsese, Stanley
Kubrick, in fact if anyone analyses One Day In The Haram it will be evident
that a lot of the film I modelled on the beautiful shots Stanley Kubrick
introduced thirty years ago with symmetrical shootings - Symmetry was a big
part of the cinematography of the film and the time lapses played a huge
part too.
“I’m very grateful we got to make the film and the
feedback we have received is that its beautiful, its amazing, its opened
peoples eyes and made them aware of what exactly the Haram is.”
This is a truly captivating documentary, which
details the Islamic rituals and rich history of the Haram.
Every year, millions of pilgrims from all across the
world flock to this holy site as part of Hajj and Umrah pilgrimages.
Following on from the huge success of One Day In The
Haram an exclusive UK-wide city tour is planned and UK charity Penny Appeal
will be hosting viewings of this fantastically insightful documentary from the
7th September till the 29th September for a bargain price of just £5!
All proceeds from the tour will go towards life-changing
charity appeals, such as Education First and Thirst Relief.
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