Palestinian-Chilean singer Elyanna faces ‘overwhelming’ demand at US show

DUBAI: The British-Emirati filmmaker and singer-songwriter Layla Kaylif is to shoot an adaptation of William Shakespeare’s “Antony and Cleopatra” in Georgia later this yr.

It’s Kaylif’s second outing as a author/director. The movie follows 2018’s “The Letter Author” and can tackle the tough process of adapting certainly one of Shakespeare’s most difficult performs. Characterised by a posh layering of comedy, tragedy, romance and historical past, “Antony and Cleopatra” was final given a cinematic outing in 1972.

“Individuals are actually valuable about Shakespeare, particularly in England,” mentioned Kaylif, who’s producing the movie together with her husband, Mario Calcagni. “Within the sense that, when you’ve a really secular society, there’s all the time one thing that has to symbolize the sacred. Shakespeare occupies that house. Whereas I’m identical to, ‘yeah, you bought to edit it up.’ The fascinating factor is that ‘Antony and Cleopatra’ is admittedly cinematic. The choppiness of it, the cinematic movement, it must be on the display.”

Kaylif first started engaged on the screenplay in 2013 and accomplished the ultimate draft in 2022. A quick-paced and compact adaptation, the movie will painting Antony and Cleopatra’s love affair as an expression of the soul’s wrestle for perfection. Set in opposition to a backdrop of conflict and politics, it is going to additionally use trendy English. “It nonetheless incorporates the essence however you don’t have Shakespearean language,” Kaylif mentioned. “Why be valuable about that?”

The movie shall be shot in and round a few of Georgia’s most iconic monuments and have a good time the work of architect Victor Djorbenadze. It’s going to additionally characteristic Tamara Kvesitadze’s “Ali and Nino,” a kinetic metal sculpture positioned within the Black Sea metropolis of Batumi. “If everybody sees this statue, I’m going to be blissful,” mentioned Kaylif, who can be an envoy for Protection for Kids Worldwide. “Georgia incorporates inside its panorama the right context for the story I wish to inform. Within the context of my story, the final word raison d’etre of Antony and Cleopatra’s earthly existence is to transcend their worldly pursuits. That’s actually what I’m desirous about.”

At present within the budgeting section, the movie shall be shot by Tbilisi-based 1991 Productions. The corporate already has quite a few documentaries and films to its title, together with the Chilly Battle-era documentary “Glory to the Queen,” and is led by producers Nino Chichua and Anna Khazaradze.

Kaylif’s debut characteristic, “The Letter Author,” was shot in 2018 and stars Eslam Al-Kawarit and Rosy McEwen, who not too long ago received a British Unbiased Movie Award for her efficiency in “Blue Jean.” Set in Sixties Dubai, the movie tells the story of a younger boy who works as knowledgeable letter author for illiterate members of the neighborhood. When he falls in love with the thing of certainly one of his buyer’s affections, he embarks on a journey of youthful awakening.

A part of the official choice on the Lebanese Unbiased Movie Pageant in 2019, “The Letter Author” additionally featured in Movie London’s Breakthrough showcase in 2020. Kaylif, who performs the boy’s mom within the movie and penned the theme track, mentioned the movie is ready for launch later this yr through Janson Media.