Aden's film industry overcomes conflict: 'We have risen once again'

Before the liberation of Yemen's temporary capital there had not been the stability for filmmakers to make movies.

Amidst the rubble and destruction left behind by Houthi militias, the arts scene in Aden is beginning to thrive once again.
Before the liberation of Yemen's temporary capital there had not been the stability for filmmakers to make movies; terrorist groups affected all aspects of life, including the filmmaking industry.
In 2015, Houthi forces descended on Aden and amid the carnage, many of the city's movie theatres were destroyed or closed. Fortunately, these victims of cultural vandalism are now starting to be restored.
Today, as Aden is beginning to thrive again, determined filmmakers are using the city itself as a set to tell their own story.
'10 Days Before The Wedding', a film shot and produced in Aden, is a prime example of this renaissance. In the film, a young couple falls in love but cannot get married due to the war. In the end, however, they are able to overcome conflict, Qasim Omer, an actor in the film, told the Emirates News Agency, Wam.

The film carries messages with universal themes, but it also represents a statement to the world that the city of Aden is recovering and becoming safer, with lives changing for the better.
"We lived in a time of war, and fell, but have risen once again, because we are Aden," said Hoda Ramzy, a Yemeni actor who also stars in the film.
"Most people feel the media portrays Aden as a city of war, where there is Cholera, disease and death," fellow actor Bakar Basharahil said. "This is not the case," he explained, adding that despite the destruction and rubble, the film intends to shed light on the daily life of ordinary people moving beyond the negative images portrayed globally.
'10 Days Before The Wedding,' will be shown during the upcoming Eid al-Adha festival in Aden.

• MENA