Elements has completed work on the documentary “Ruffiat Al-Jalsa” commissioned by Ms. Nasreen Faqihi & with backing from MEPI.

The Film was Directed by Bahraini Director Saleh Nass with cinematography by Chaker Ben Yahmed & Sound Design by the renowned Sami Al Gharbi. It waas edited by Samir Tantouch.

The film was cut-down significantly from an hour to 20 minutes to make it more digestable by viewers.

More Details from the GDN:

“A BAHRAINI volunteer is on a sole mission to promote through cinema the importance of a law protecting the rights of women and families.

The debut documentary, which is in Arabic with English subtitles, attempts to explain the plight of thousands of people suffering in silence due to the absence of a fully applicable Family Law.

It will be screened today at the Sheraton Hotel’s Les Plames Hall at 6.30pm.

The event is being held under the patronage of Information Centre for Women and Children (ICWC) and Children and Mothers’ Welfare Society president Shaikha Hind bint Salman Al Khalifa.

Nasreen Faqihi produced the film after the hardships she had witnessed as a volunteer in Batelco Care Centre for Family Domestic Violence.

The 25-year-old decided to make it her personal goal to make a film that tells true stories, which she says have been ignored by society for being taboo.

“True stories of court battles were a daily thing at the centre during the time I volunteered,” said the government employee.

“Our society is not familiar with these cases because it is considered wrong to talk about them and labelled as gossip.

“But I wanted this production to show real families talking about their struggles to raise awareness that the problem is there and the law is the only solution.”

Work on the documentary, entitled Court Dismissal, started two years ago before the Sunni part of the Family Law was approved by the National Assembly last May.

In the middle of shooting, the Sunni part of the law was approved, which meant the film needed to be edited in line with the new ratification.

It features real families who share their struggles, while their voices and images are altered to protect their identity.

The 20-minute production also features the participation of members of the judicial system, including two judges and two clerics, who approve of the law and its importance.

“In the movie, the judicial experts explain why the law is important and how it contributes to reducing cases and struggles in families,” said Ms Faqihi.

“Mean-while, the families reveal the suffering they had to put up with while fighting for their rights in courts.”

The main objective behind the film is to raise awareness on the importance of the law and its benefits to families, said Ms Faqihi.

It is the first project by Ms Faqihi, who holds a bachelor’s degree in International Studies.

“I was purely led by passion to work on producing this film,” she said.

“I knew that a movie would get across to Bahrainis better than a book or an article, as a picture is more vivid in explanation.”

Elements Production was hired to assist Ms Faqihi in her film, which was directed by Bahraini Saleh Nass and had the consultant help of care centre former president Dr Bana Bu Zaboon.

Efforts by women’s rights activists to create a family law that serves everyone came partially into effect when the Sunni part of the law was ratified by His Majesty King Hamad last July.

However, a similar version of the law for Shi’ite women was shelved based on reported opposition from religious leaders.”