What comes to your mind when you think about Yemen?
Ziryab Al-Ghabri knows all the stereotypes, but he won’t give up. Through a dazzling set of photographs and a heart-warming story, this Yemeni photographer aims to open a new window on Yemen’s multi-faceted identity.
“Yemen has a magnificent history and a lot potential, and pictures hold great power to change its portrayal as the land of terrorism. A photo can transfer the kindness of the people to the world“, he says.
Al-Ghabri not only captures revealing snapshots of a dynamic land, but opens the door to discovery through a stirring love story. His film “The Gift Maker”, released in 2010, won the British Council’s short-film competition, and was presented at the Edinburgh International Film Festival in the UK.
The story features a bomb maker who falls in love with a woman he glimpses from his basement’s workshop, turning his life around forever. Gripping, thought-provoking and with a tinge of tenderness, the film illustrates how certain groups can manipulate youth for their own agenda.
“But the main focus is to highlight that love can be a solution for hatred in Yemen”, he says. “At the end we wanted to show how small things around us could change our perspective on life and turn all evil to good”.
For more information – Ziryab Al-Ghabri’s studio website.
