In this episode of Meet the Locals, we meet Rami Yasin, a filmmaker and the founder of Breakout Films
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00:00 [upbeat music]
00:02 The world in my mind was always more interesting for me
00:12 than the world outside that I was living in.
00:15 My father, who loved cinema,
00:16 introduced me to a lot of the classic cinema.
00:19 You know, when I'd see that,
00:20 I was like, you could actually translate what's in your head
00:23 and put it on a screen and people actually watch it.
00:25 I started liberal arts,
00:27 and I went to the New York Film Academy,
00:28 and I attended the Vancouver Film School.
00:31 A colleague of mine started a production company
00:33 here in Dubai, so I moved back to Dubai.
00:35 So I spent eight to nine years directing
00:37 and producing television commercials for the region.
00:40 And during that same time,
00:41 the first US studio films came to shoot in the UAE,
00:43 which was "Syriana," and I did two positions there.
00:46 It exposed me to the way that studio movies are made,
00:49 which is an incredible way to make movies,
00:51 but it wasn't for me.
00:52 It wasn't why I wanted to be in the industry.
00:55 I got the opportunity to produce an Emirati film
00:58 called "Sea Shadow," and that was an incredible experience.
01:01 And that's when I knew, I was like,
01:02 this is the cinema that I want to be doing,
01:04 the indie cinema.
01:05 You feel like you're part of the storytelling,
01:07 part of the creative development of the film.
01:09 To look at a blank page with nothing on it
01:12 and then suddenly build a world full of characters
01:16 and events, and then see that transform
01:19 into a full story and a journey,
01:21 it's like having a baby.
01:23 And that's just the first stage,
01:24 'cause normally on indie, the funding is low.
01:26 You have no idea what's gonna be thrown at you
01:28 over the course of the production.
01:30 Sometimes you're doing the job of two or three people,
01:32 but all of that stress combined with passion and love
01:35 for an incredible cause that is compelling and emotional
01:40 means something else.
01:41 And I've been lucky enough to have a number of movies
01:43 that I've worked in that have been in festivals.
01:45 "When I Saw You" was at TIFF and Merlin Ali.
01:48 "The Worthy" was at London Film Festival.
01:50 "Zenzana" was at Fantastic Fest.
01:53 And then my first venture in writing and directing
01:56 was the short in "Overtime."
01:58 World premiered at Venice International Film Festival
02:01 and then went on screen in Dubai
02:03 and won the jury mention here.
02:05 My first full-fledged feature that I wrote, produced,
02:08 directed, and acted in was "Ludline."
02:10 It was a very successful commercial venture.
02:13 And then I went back after that to producing.
02:15 I was offered an opportunity to join Image Nation
02:19 to work on "Watcher."
02:21 They selected for its world premiere competition
02:23 at Sundance, which is an incredible feat.
02:25 And it went on to be sold
02:28 and already had its theatrical release.
02:30 And then that's another different experience,
02:32 like seeing a movie in a theater
02:33 where people have actually bought tickets
02:35 to go sit down and watch it.
02:36 It's like a great honor.
02:37 And of course, many people don't know your face
02:38 and you're kind of in there walking,
02:40 feeling proud of yourself.
02:41 You know when you have that big smile on your face
02:42 and no one knows why and they think maybe he's crazy?
02:45 That's probably a filmmaker that just came out of a theater
02:47 watching one of the movies that they made.
02:49 [laughs]
02:54 ♪♪