Damascus: Syrian film star Duraid Lahham has his hands full with two big projects. The first project is his upcoming movie “Yawmayn” (Two Days), which he wrote the story for, and Talid Al-Khatib scripted.
Lahham is currently putting his final touches on the movie — directed by Palestinian filmmaker Basil Al-Khatib — which is set to premiere in Damascus later this year.
The second project is a draft script for another film titled “Zaytouna” (Olive), conceptualised by Lahham himself. The plot is about a dignified beggar named Zaytouna, wandering through the old alleys of Damascus. If this project materialises, it will be the 36th film of Lahham’s illustrious career, which spans over six decades — without a break — since 1960.
Duraid Lahham from Kasak ya Watan play in 1979
دريد لحام من مسرحية كاسك يا وطن عام 1979
Unknown source#MySyrianHistory#MySyria pic.twitter.com/wc9fCP979L
— MY SYRIA (@mysyria_) October 20, 2020
Awards and milestones
We were welcomed by Lahham himself into his tasteful office, situated in the heart of the Syrian capital and adorned with awards from all corners of the globe, including an honourary doctorate bestowed upon him by the American University of Beirut (AUB) years ago.
One particular award that stood out was a prestigious certificate from the American Clio Awards — akin to an Oscar in the advertising industry —dating back to 1974. When asked about it, Lahham beamed with pride.
“Back in 1969, my colleague, Director Khaldoun Al-Maleh and I established the Shamra Company for advertising production. We earned this certificate in the US for our advertisement for the German Sinalco, which we filmed in Ghouta, Damascus. The ad — costing less than $10,000 at the time — beat out international ads that were 10 times more expensive.”
With a shift to TV production, Shamra Company made its mark with the legendary series “Sah al-Noom,” featuring Lahham himself as the beloved Arab character, Ghawwar El Toshe.
This two-part series was the first of its kind in Arabic, as the success of the first part led to the production of a second part in 1971, followed by a movie adaptation in 1975.
The series introduced several comic characters who outlived the actors who played them, such as the late Nihad Kalai in the role of Hosny Al-Borazan, the late Naji Jaber (who passed away in 2008) in the role of Abu Antar, the late Najah Hafeez in the role of Fatoom, as well as Yassin Bakosh, Abdel-Latif Fat’hy, and others.
Another sequel production, “Melh wa Sekkar” (Salt and Sugar), was released in 1973 and featured the famous song “Yamo” (Mom), performed by Ghawwar from prison on Mother’s Day.
“Sah al-Noom marked a colossal milestone, both for my artistic journey and for Shamra production company. The streets of Arab cities came to a standstill during its airing, and the series’ soundtracks were recorded onto discs or records. Recent efforts have been made to adapt it into an animated series, but it has yet to come to fruition.”