Mustafa al-Akkad’s unfinished dream

Born in Aleppo, Syria on July 19, 1933, Akkad left to the United States in the early 1950s to study filmmaking at the University of California at Los Angeles (UCLA). Akkad then finished his Master’s degree at the University of Southern California (USC), where he met the well-known director Sam Peckinpah. Peckinpah became Akkad’s tutor in Hollywood and hired him as a consultant for a film about the Algerian revolution that never made it to the big screen, not long until Akkad found a job as a producer at CBS. In 1972, Akkad founded “Filmco International Production” and used it in 1976 to produce and direct his widely seen movie about Islam the Message or Al-Risallah starring Anthony Quinn as Hamza, the uncle of Prophet Mo-hammed. It was the irst time in movie history that a feature film with leading names talks about the Muslim community and Islam. The Message was a stepping stone to portraying the truth about Islam and bridging the gap between the west and the Arab world. Akkad produced his long-time Hollywood classic Halloween. The low-budget serial horror movie became a highly profitable and instant hit in the US upon its release in 1978. In 1980, he went on to direct his second big movie, Lion of the Desert, about the real-life Bedouin leader nationalist Omar Mukhtar, also starring Anthony Quinn and Irene Papas. The movie had a relatively low performance at the box office because of the negative publicity in the west for being partially funded by Libya’s Muammar al-Qaddai. Mustafa al-Akkad and his 34-year-old daughter Rima Akkad were killed in November 2005 Am-man terrorist bombings leaving behind him his unfinished dream Saladin, whom he believed exactly portrays true Islam. From Aleppo to the States, Akkad conquered the house of the big screen, Hollywood, to emerge as an international director and producer whose work will never die in the hearts of many. With his son and filmmaker Malek Akkad, I had a brief touchy conversation about the rich journey of his father portraying various aspects of his character that no one knew and shedding the light on the most important transitions in his life.

An Arab in the West

What did Hollywood add to Mustafa alAkkad in terms of opportunities and what did he add to Hollywood in return?

He believed that he owed all that he achieved to America. He was free to try and achieve anything he wanted. And in return, he was a pioneer for future Arab filmmakers trying to follow his example. He showed the world that an Arab could make it in Hollywood, and I think this has inspired many Arab filmmakers.

Going back to Mustafa al-Akkad’s early stages in Hollywood was he treated dif-fervently and seen as an “Arab intruder” to the western “house of filmmaking”?

He was extremely confident, and felt he could make films as well as anyone. He never let his roots, culture, religion hold him back in any way.

With all the pre-conceived negative images about Arabs in the west, especially after the attacks of September 11th, were there any main challenges that Akkad encountered as a filmmaker?

Again, he never shied away from who he was. He acted as an ambassador for the Arab world, so he felt a lot of responsibility to be the best example possible. I believe people in Hollywood respected him for his convictions.

The person How did Akkad’s Syrian origins affect his day to day life, behavior and actions?

My father never lost sense of his roots. He was always, very proudly, the young man of humble origins from Aleppo, Syria. When he first came to Hollywood, advisors told him to change his name, downplay his origins and faith. He did just the opposite. He took every opportunity to declare him-self a Moslem, a Syrian, and an Arab. He loved everything about the Arab culture, the food, the music, the people, and these things dominated his life. He took it upon himself to be an ambassador for the Arab world.

Like all fathers, Akkad must have had various stories about his childhood. What was that special story that he never failed to repeat?

My father was the best story teller. He could hold an audience on his every word. I, of course, heard these stories many times, but never grew tired of hearing them. The most enjoyable ones were tales of his pranks he liked to play on friends. He was such a humble man, and when any-one around him got too full of themselves, he would bring them back down to earth. There are so many stories, but the one I always enjoyed was about a friend of his who kept bragging that he had a private jet. This friend kept asking, “I have this private jet, doesn’t anyone want to send something with me to Syria?” After hearing this one too many times, my father finally said, “OK, I have some things and I’ll bring them by.” He filled ten suitcases with rocks, and dropped them off to his friend. Everyone would laugh at the thought of this man carrying bags of rocks all the way to Syria.

Mostly accompanied by his pipe, Mustafa al-Akkad had a somehow westernized elegant look. How did this appearance help him dissolving into the Hollywood society?

He grew up under the French Mandate in Syria, and perhaps because of this, he was always impeccably dressed. He never owned a pair of jeans, or even sneakers. Even while relaxing at home, he would al-ways be the most elegant man in the room. I believe this helped him meld into any society.

The father What was the nature of your relation-ship with Mustafa al-Akkad? Father to son? Filmmaker to filmmaker? Friend to friend? Teacher to student?

He was my father, mentor and best friend; he inspired me to go into filmmaking, even though he didn’t support it at first. He once told me, “Get a real career!” He knew it is a tough life and profession, but I was determined, and finally, after many years working on my own, he accepted the fact. Then we finally worked on a film together, and I worked with him on everything ever since. I try to take from his example, his humility, care for quality, and hard work ethics.

Born and raised in the US, how did this fact influence your identity? Was your father keen on planting the Syrian seeds in you?

He never forced his faith or culture on any of his children. He felt that we would seek it out for our selves, sooner or later. He was exactly right. I was raised in Los Angeles, and was very American in every way. But later, in my late teens and early twenties, I started to discover my cultural roots. Now more than ever, I feel a strong connection to my Arab roots, and love to travel to the Middle East every chance I get.

What was the most intimate moment you both ever shared?

There are far too many, but one that I will always cherish, is going to Oumra in Mecca, just the two of us. I felt so bonded to him and his faith.

Was Mustafa al-Akkad your role model?

He is my role model. He is everything excellent in a man. He was one-in-a-million, and I aspire to be like him, and honor him, everyday of my life.

What was the most valuable thing you learned from him?

Probably his humility. He didn’t care about titles. If he met a king or a janitor, he treated everyone the same; based on their character.

Like all parents and children, you must have had a share of arguments with your father. Did you use to disagree on

filmmaking matters?

We had our arguments. Every filmmaker sees things in different ways, so it is only natural, and part of the creative process, to have disagreements. But, they were al-ways respectful and good natured.

As you mentioned earlier, your father was your role model. But what was it that you disliked about him?

Honestly, I can’t think of anything I disliked about him. He was a stubborn man at times, but that was because he demanded excellence. And in time, I ended up adoring this quality in him. Also, I was always amazed at his way with people. He was magnetic, and people always wanted to be around him.

The director and producer When talking about Akkad’s filmmaking career, it is worth mentioning his strong relationship with legendary director Sam Peckinpah, who became his mentor. How much of an impact did Peckinpah have in shaping Akkad’s directing style?

Peckinpah gave him very valuable advice that he never forgot, and often repeated. When my father was offered his first job in television, he got two offers. One for $400 a week, but no credit, and one for $200 a week, with a producer credit. My father was practically starving at the time, so the money was important, but Peckinpah told him, “Go for the credit!” It made a huge difference, because then he would get his calls answered by studio executives, be-cause he was a producer. My father would always tell anyone starting in the business, “Go for the credit.” But, in terms of direct-ing style, David Lean was much more of an influence on him.

A widely viewed movie on Islam, Mo-hammed: Messenger of God or The Message in 1976, was a turning point in your father’s career, aimed at bridging the gap with the West. How much do you think this movie has contributed to clarifying the true image of Islam?

This movie is, perhaps, the most important movie in Islamic history. It portrays Moslems as noble, charitable, and heroic. It should be seen by anyone wishing to get a better understanding of Islam. The US army even shows it to soldiers before the serve in the Middle East. I don’t think its impact can be quantified.

Back in late 70s, Akkad faced resistance from Hollywood to making a film about the origins of Islam and had to go out-side the United States to raise production money for the film. Do you think this would have been the case if the movie was to be produced nowadays with the current American war against terrorism and Islam?

I think he purposely wanted to raise the money from the Islamic world. I think he felt that it needed to be told, made, and financed by Muslims. Maybe it could have been financed in Hollywood, but it would not have been the same movie. The modern history of jihad, starring Anthony Quinn, Lion of the Desert in 1981, initially received negative publicity in the West for being partially funded by Libya’s Muammar al-Qaddai, who invested $35 million in the movie. This negative publicity may have been the cause of its relatively poor performance at the box office back then. How true is this? It is possible, but also, there was very little known about Arab history in the US at the time. That is one of the points of the movie, and why he wanted to do more. He felt Arabs needed to be more involved in international media.

Were there any specific changes or impact that your father wanted to see taking place in the Arab world through his movies about Islam?

I believe his films were more for the inter-national audience, rather than the Arab world. He wanted to use his craft, film-making, to foster a better understanding of the Arab culture in the Western world.

The famous thriller Halloween, from 1978 till 2002, started with a relatively low-budget but was highly profitable. How do you explain its wide success?

Horror films have always been very popular with Western audiences. He saw this as an opportunity to help fund his other film-making aspirations.

Apart from funding obstacles that your father has faced in producing his movies, like Saladin, what other challenges did he face throughout his career in filmmaking?

He faced tremendous obstacles in the making of Al-Risallah. It is still banned in many countries in the Arab world. He faced death threats, and even, threats against his family. Ironically, he had no negative reaction from Jewish or Christian audiences, but instead, from certain Islamic groups that feared it portrayed the prophet in a negative way. Of course, today it is the most widely seen Islamic film ever.

Akkad once told me, over a family diner, with an attempt at answering my continuous eager questions about film-making “Never think of standing in-front of the camera, because most of the actors and actresses get abused. Stick to the camera from behind.” Is there a specific incident that you might relay to this opinion?

He would always say this. He believed that actors have to rely on others giving them a break, whereas, a producer or director can better control their own destiny. He had great respect for actors, but also knew that the chances of making it are very small.

To where did Akkad belong more, Los Angeles or Aleppo?

He lived in the US much longer than in Syria and was extremely proud of his American citizenship. He often would say that he had more freedom to practice his religion here, than anywhere in the Arab world. But he never lost touch with his roots. Some of his happiest moments were when he re-turned to Aleppo.

Your father met with Iranian President Mohammad Khatami. Can you tell us about that?

I was with him when he went to Iran and met with Khatami. Khatami said to him, that because this film was translated into so many languages, and could be seen by people who cannot read, that it is second only to the Koran in spreading the positive message of Islam. But, my father was such a humble man, that he did not take it personally. He made the film, not for his own fame and recognition, but for the entire Islamic world.

The victim Akkad once said “…Saladin exactly portrays Islam. Right now, Islam is portrayed as a terrorist religion. Because a few terrorists are Muslims, the whole religion has that image. If there ever was a religious war full of terror, it was the Crusades. But you can’t blame Christianity because a few adventurers did this. That’s my message.” A real promoter of Islam, yet a victim of a terrorist attack; how do you feel about his dilemma?

It’s is the most horrific irony, obviously. But my loss is not about messages or religious zealots. I lost a father, and a sister, and that is something I will never recover from.

We often hear that the person feels it somehow when his/her time has come. Did you notice any unusual change in your father’s behavior prior to his death?

No, but he did get a chance to go back to Aleppo, and see some of his oldest friends. He was able to see his youngest son, Zade, become a man. He got to know his grand-children, Tarek and Mustafa. I think he was at peace with his life, and his legacy will live on well beyond his years.

The future Akkad’s planned $80 million movie featuring Sean Connery, Saladin, never saw the light. It you plan on carrying out with this movie, how are you going to overcome the funding obstacle?

Having worked so closely with him on his projects, they have become mine as well. I, of course, want to see Saladin made, and I am working toward that goal now. The time is right for this movie, and like ArRiasallah, it should be made by Arabs, to show the rest of the world our beautiful history and culture.

If you were to re-produce or re-direct both the “Messenger” and “Lion of the Desert”, what sort of changes would you do?

I wouldn’t even think of changing anything in the life work of my father. They are his gifts to the world, and they are just as he wanted them.

Do you think of making a movie about your dad in the near future?

We are working on a documentary right now that hopefully will be done by Ramadan. As for a biographical film on him, maybe. It is definitely a story worthy of a film, but we’ll have to wait and see.