Thursday 18 / April / 2024
Muscat: A web series titled ‘Scattered Barriers’ on Netflix about a real-life story in one of the wilayats of the Sultanate of Oman is getting worldwide applause. The story deals about the sufferings of an Omani family during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Ibrahim Al-Zadjali, the Omani actor, who did the role of Nasser, spoke exclusively to Times of Oman about the series.
He said: “The movie tells the story of ‘Nasser’, the person who refused to believe and accept the grave danger posed by the Covid-19 until he loses his mother to the virus. He starts blaming himself for the tragedy and refrains from accepting the new reality, until he realises the true meaning of the family and society. Making amends, he strives to improve his life in honour of his mother.”
Many Omani actors, including Amina Abdulrasoul, Essam Al Zadjali, Balqis Al Balushi, Raed Al Ameri, Emirati actress Salama Al Mazrouei and 28 people with disabilities from 11 different countries also participated in the series.
Al Zadjali said: “I took the role of Nasser, who is the focus of the story. I was very happy in this role. I did my best to master this character in this series with real feelings that touch the heart of the viewer.”
Al Zadjali added that the series has three episodes, each of which is 50 minutes. It is a dramatic story that was shown exclusively for the first time on Netflix and Abu Dhabi Channel on January 12, 2023.
Al Zadjali said: “The characters in the series wear Omani clothes, and dialogues are in Omani accent. I am very proud of the success of this drama and its presentation on Netflix. It is being watched by different nationalities around the world. Netflix is very choosy in buying web series and movies and this indicates the quality of our drama.”
Al Zadjali clarified:”The drama is part of a series of four novels, including Syrian, Emirati, Gulf, and Omani novels.”
Talking about the Omani novel, he said: “The Omani novel is titled ‘Scattered Barriers’. The television work was done by an Emirati company called Film Gate, owned by Mansour Al-Dhaheri from Abu Dhabi. The film was completed with funding from the Abu Dhabi Media Corporation, as well as the Charitable Foundation for People of Determination in the UAE. This project was carried out with the participation of people with disabilities who are called in Arabic As’hab Al Himam.”
He also added: “They organised a workshop for a group of authors with disabilities from the Arab world, and they chose these four novels.”
Al-Zadjali confirmed that the story for ‘Scattered Barriers’ was written by Ahmed Al-Hajji, a blind young man during the Coronavirus pandemic.
He also added that the director of this film is Abdul Bari Belkhair, and he is among the people with disabilities. His disability has not become a barrier in his directorial journey. In fact, he has worked much better than other television directors who do not suffer from any physical disability.
“The director of photography is a hearing impaired woman,” he added
Al Zadjali also said: “It was a great experience working with people from disabilities. They have proven their worth and have been able to overcome challenges and hardships despite their physical disabilities. They have the spirit to succeed. They are cheerful, positive and they fill the space with happiness and optimism. They make you love your work a lot.”
The series was filmed in the United Arab Emirates, with the participation of a number of Arab artists and stars. The actor, Ibrahim Al-Zadjali, confirmed that the television work won the award for the best dramatic series at the Barcelona Festival. Subsequently, Netflix bought this drama for its platform.
