RIYADH — For the first time in Hollywood history, a Saudi-directed movie shut down a road for filming. The road, situated near the famous Hollywood Boulevard, was blocked by Los Angeles police for four hours through midday. The picture in question is a short movie entitled “Officer Jack”, directed by Al-Motaz Al-Jefri and produced by his brother, Faisal. It tells the story of a police officer, who falls victim to a retribution-induced crime. The short movie will be shown next week at Warner Bros. Hollywood Theater in Los Angeles. The producer and director are both Saudi students in the United States. Al-Motaz studies film direction in Hollywood, whilst Faisal studies industrial design in Miami. Al-Motaz told Al-Sharq daily that movie-making is a challenging undertaking, especially in Los Angeles, which suffers no shortage of movie-making talent. Filming is not easy, he said, as every detail has to be preplanned. He explained that the local police department had helped ease the crew's job by closing down the road and providing security. The cast includes retired police officers. Editing will be done by Sean Parker, who has previously worked on blockbusters like “Transformers” and “Avatar”. Faisal Al-Jefri, the producer, said that the movie project was studied carefully before it was started. The cast was selected carefully, and the production needs were provided for, he added. He explained that Los Angeles has clear regulations for filmmakers, and that that helps make life easier for filmmakers. Some of the cast, Faisal added, have participated in large productions, like David Hill, who acted in “The Hangover: Part I.” — SG
