The Emirate city of Khorfakkan was attacked by the Portuguese in the sixteenth century. The local inhabitants offered stiff resistance and stood their ground. The fascinating story is what is captured in this script by the Emir of Sharjah, based on the book of the same name by Sultan Muhammad Al Qasim. The movie is available on Google play and on Emirates ICE and highly recommended for those who love their history and drama.
What's even more interesting is that the Portuguese attacked the city not once, but twice in 1507 and later in 1534. And the story and the characters are intertwined across the 27 years! In 1507, General Alfonso De Alburquerque ( Syrian actor #RachidAssaf) led six ships to chase a local boat. The boat redirected itself to the famous SIRA island (now shark island) to inform locals of the impending danger. The locals fought back viciously. 27 years later on 13th February 1534, Commander Jorge de Castro again led a fleet of ships to Khorfakkan. This time, the natural elements played havoc on the crew and they arrived severely depleted on supplies and health. The locals toyed with their invaders and some of the victims of the earlier attack got their revenge.
The film employs a huge cast of over 300 people and showcases life at that time as the scenes span across beaches, mountains and farms. The film is co-directed by Irishman #MauriceSweeney and British director #BenMole. Director of Photography #RichardKendrick recreates the 16th century ethos brilliantly. Khorfakkaan was part of the kingdom of Hormuz and run by one of its own Governors. People from India and Persia co-existed in harmony.
The cast includes other Syrian actors #QaisShakhNajib, #MansurAlFilli, #AbdulRahmanAlMulla, #AbdullahBinHaider, #MohammadJuma and the film also marks the debut of Emirati actors #Ahmed Al-Jasmi and Habib Ghloum.
#Khorfakkan won the best Asian film as well as best documentary and best director awards at India’s Athivkvarvani festival. It also won top awards at Istanbul ( best dramatic film) and Brussels ( best historical film).
Comments