Charles Anteby

Charles Anteby's latest demo reel includes a scene from To Rest in Peace.

The scene was shot on our third day of production. During the screening in Kuwait, several people tried to guess which local hospital we filmed in. But this was actually filmed in Santa Clarita, California. Kudos to our production design team.

The third day of production was particularly difficult, because of a big technical setback we had in the morning. We were not able to get our first shot in until after lunch, and then only because of some major problem solving by camera department, grips and electrics, and producers. Having a professional cast with a good attitude helped us rally and rescue the scene. My biggest concern when the crew is working against the clock is: will the stress of the day affect the performances? But I was very happy from "action" to "cut."

Congrats to Charles on your continued success!

Scene from the Film

Twenty years ago today, Kuwait was liberated from the occupation.

The moment is described beautifully in Jehan Rejab's memoir, Invasion Kuwait: An Englishwoman's Tale:

As I stared about me, I thought I heard a woman ululating in the distance. I ran round the other corner to look at the mosque and someone said happily, 'It's clean now.' I think they were unearthing a Kuwaiti flag. I do believe Kuwait may be FREE — FREE — FREE.

To honour the occasion, I'm posting this scene from To Rest in Peace. It has been everyone's favourite since the first draft, and my personal favourite as I was about the boy's age when Kuwait was invaded. When I asked what scene people would like to see posted, my friend Nadia said it best:

The scene with the son and his painting, to honour the bright future of Kuwait!

Question of Scenes

Next week will see the fiftieth anniversary of Kuwait's independence (February 25th), and the twentieth anniversary of its liberation (February 26th). To honour the occasion, I plan on posting a short scene from To Rest in Peace.

So, my question to you is: What scene should I post?

I have one in mind, a personal favourite, but I thought it might be fun to ask people to vote. You can use the comments section below. Or you can e-mail me.

And if you have not seen the film, you can have a look at the trailer, and vote on what scene you would like to see posted.

Failaka Video

In January of this year, To Rest in Peace went to Kuwait to shoot b-roll footage. Most of it was shot on the Island of Failaka, which was completely abandoned for twenty years after the Gulf.

As we were boarding the ferry back to Kuwait, we saw tow trucks arriving on the island. You might remember this story from the January post, "News from Kuwait". They were there to remove the abandoned cars, in preparation for a complete demolition of the neighbourhood.

We were haunted by the realization that the footage we had was the last visual record of this moment of history, frozen for twenty years.

With that in mind, I decided to make this video. Some of the unused footage of Failaka is intercut here with the song "Salamun Salam" from To Rest in Peace, which is nominated for Best World Music Track at the Hollywood Music in Media Awards (in a couple of weeks!)

The footage was color corrected by Sean Conaty.

Trailer

Here is the new trailer for To Rest in Peace, edited by Zachary Dehm.

The blog has been quiet for the last little while. There was a funeral, some traveling, and a couple of other projects. But in the meantime, Josh and I have been busy submitting To Rest in Peace into festivals, and Zachary Dehm has cut this trailer. More updates to come.