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Doha, Qatar-based pan-Arab content studio Katara Studios is developing a film about technology trailblazer Mohammed Al-Sharekh that will put a spotlight on his pivotal role in pioneering Arabic computing in the 1980s and making technology more accessible for Arabic speakers. Katara Studios describes the project, unveiled in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, as “an inspiring portrayal of a remarkable Arab figure, Mr. Mohamed Al Sharekh, the creator of Sakhr computers whose legacy continues to have an impact today.”
Sakhr is part of a four-picture slate that Katara is set to unveil at a showcase during the fourth edition of the Red Sea International Film Festival in the second-largest Saudi city on Saturday afternoon. Described by the company as its “first-ever content roadshow,” the event is seen as underlining its mission of crafting “authentic and universally resonant stories.”
Hussein Fakhry, Katara’s chief commercial officer, tells THR that the script for the Sakhr movie is finished, with next steps including the selection of a director, followed by casting.
“This man was a pioneer really in the proper meaning of the word. He was the one that introduced Arabic programming,” Fakhry explains. “Pretty much every house in the Middle East had a Sakhr computer. And if you ask anybody here who’s in their 40s or 50s, they will tell you immediately that they recognize Sakhr. There’s a nostalgia to it.”
How does the project fit into Katara’s vision? “It completely encapsulates what we’re trying to do as a studio,” the executive highlights. “That is to tell Arab stories, authentic Arab stories, to a wider audience. And this is a beautiful story. This guy revolutionized computing and tech in this part of the world.”
Asked if one could call Mohammed Al-Sharekh the Bill Gates of the region, Fakhry shares that Gates actually features in the pioneer’s story. “If (Al-Sharekh) had been allowed to continue doing what he wanted to do, we would have a whole generation of Arabic programmers and coders. We would have been up there with Silicon Valley,” he says. “But a court case that happened with Microsoft, Bill Gates and all the rest of it threw a spanner in the works. So the film will tell the story of how he created Sakhr, and the challenges that he was facing with the first Gulf War in Kuwait, and then the court case and all the rest of this fascinating story. It’s an inspirational story.”
The Kuwaiti partner on the project is Piston Marketing & Production that had a relationship with the Al-Sharekh family. “We jumped on it. We had two writers write the script, and they have done a beautiful job on it,” Fakhry says. “They went and spent a week with Mohammed Al-Sharekh, who has since passed away (in March), and his family to really understand the challenges and what he went through. This is where we come back to authenticity. His son is also involved as an executive producer. Because when things are done with love and authenticity, they have a much better chance of success.”
Katara’s previous work includes Starzplay sci-fi fantasy series Medinah; sci-fi drama The Pact on The Roku Channel; sports docu-drama Chasing Dreams streaming on Shahid; and feature film Orca, about a young Iranian woman who fights back against an abusive spouse and religious and political obstacles to set the Guinness world record in endurance swimming with her hands and feet tied. The studio also produced the opening and closing ceremonies for the FIFA soccer World Cup in Qatar 2022.
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