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Aziz Al-Jasmi (born 6 march 1981) is a Kuwaiti film, commercial and theater director. He began his career producing and directing television shows for local channels before moving into directing commercials for leading Middle East based brands. He received several awards including the Cannes Lion, Dubai Lynx, and MENA Cristal. He was listed as one of the top 10 directors in the Middle East in 2019 by the B&W report.

AlJasmi is currently directing his first theatrical musical production in association with Jaber Al-Ahmad Cultural Center (JACC) in Kuwait. He recently announced writing his first ever feature film, stating, “I’m also starting to write my first feature film, which is about an 18-year old boy during the Iraqi invasion of Kuwait in 1990, who survived after getting shot with two bullets in the head by the Iraqi military.”.

He is represented by GoodPeople, which is a production house that has a selective pool of the most notable and talented filmmakers in the Middle East.

Contents

 * 1Early life
 * 2Career and accolades
 * 2.12004-2011: Early work
 * 2.22011-2017: Rising as an award-winning commercial director
 * 2.32017-present: Commercials, theater and a feature film
 * 2.4Art direction
 * 2.5Filmography
 * 2.5.1Commercials
 * 2.5.2Theatre
 * 2.5.3Feature films
 * 3External links
 * 4References

Early life[edit]
Aziz Al-Jasmi was born in Kuwait on 6 march 1981. He is the youngest of eight siblings.

He developed a passion for films at a very early age during the first Gulf War when Iraq invaded Kuwait in 1990. Confined at home, he would spend his days watching Arabic and western films.

He completed a Bachelors of Arts in Mass Communication from Kuwait University in 2004.

2004-2011: Early work[edit]
Aziz Al-Jasmi was the television producer at a Kuwait-based channel, Al Rai TV, which was the first private network in the State.

2011-2017: Rising as an award-winning commercial director[edit]
In 2011, AlJasmi became the director of Cinemagic Kuwait, a boutique production house catering to film, TV, and visual media. He earned his first awards in 2013 taking home gold and silver awards from the MENA Cristal Awards and two bronze awards from Dubai Lynx. In 2017, he gained a gold award from Dubai Lynx, and a bronze award from the Cannes Lion. In 2018, he was recognized with a silver award from Dubai Lynx.

During his tenure at Cinemagic Kuwait, AlJasmi led the production house to recognition in the Middle East.

The first recognition came in 2013 with a commercial for a Kuwait-based internet services provider, QualityNet. Inspired the exaggeration style of Bollywood films, the commercial took home gold and silver awards from the MENA Cristal Awards and two bronze awards for commercial public services and best use of music at the Dubai Lynx.

The commercial used the exaggeration style in Bollywood films which became since the 1970s in Kuwait a synonym of a familiar expression in which one questions the exaggeration of another’s story by saying: “''What is this? An Indian film?" The commercial recreates a typical Bollywood film in which the hero tries to save his suicidal lover by singing in a broken Arabic dialect typically spoken by Indian expats living in Kuwait. The lover jumps off the roof anyway. In true Bollywood exaggeration, the hero rushes at the speed of light down the stairs to catch her and the story has a happy love ending. The commercial ends the story with a narration that reads: "This isn't an Indian film; it is the speed of Qualitynet''".

In 2015, he directed two versions of a Ramadan commercial for the telecommunications company Zain, which was ranked fourth among Campaign Middle East’s list of the Top 10 Middle East and North Africa commercials of the year 2015. The commercial was also shortlisted for the 2016 Film Craft award at the Dubai Lynx.

In 2017, he directed the “Who is Bu Salem?” commercial for the tea line of a locally-grown brand Al Munayes General Trading Est. Co-produced by a local independent agency, Beattie + Dane, the commercial won the bronze Lion for content-led engagement and marketing at the Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity, the gold award for the use of social in a PR campaign as well as the silver for branded content and entertainment at the Dubai Lynx.

The story of the commercial marked the parliamentary elections in Kuwait after its dissolution for the seventh time in 10 years. With candidates campaigning, the commercial created a fictitious and unique candidate named Bu Salem, who stood for what was important, good tea. In the midst of a very controversial election in Kuwait, Bu Salem would be positioned as someone people could all agree on.

2017-present: Commercials, theater and a feature film[edit]
Aljasmi moved to become an independent director and venture into theater and feature films. He works with leading production houses and artists. He continues to direct commercials and was recognized with the silver award for production design and art direction at the Dubai Lynx in 2018.

The commercial marked the 65th anniversary of Kuwait-based bank, National Bank of Kuwait (NBK). The commercial is a narrative experience, a time-capsule of the life experienced by Kuwaiti nationals born in the 1950s by following their life stages and the extreme changes they experienced from living in mud-houses to cosmopolitan cities, from watching black-and-white films to using modern technology. The 1950s is the NBK was established and continues to be part of its customers’ lives.

In 2019, he directed a commercial for Middle East-based telecom company, Ooredoo on the occasion of the National Day of Kuwait. Starring Kuwaiti singer Essa Almarzoug, the commercial was a national sensation, gaining over 10 million views on YouTube.

AlJasmi is branching out for the very first time into theatre “After 10 years of doing TV commercials, I am now directing a big theatrical musical show in Kuwait, with the top theatrical institution in Kuwait, the Jaber Al-Ahmad Cultural Center… This will be my first attempt at doing a theatrical show, and will be the biggest show at JACC.”. He is also writing his first ever feature film: “I’m also starting to write my first feature film, which is about an 18-year old boy during the Iraqi invasion of Kuwait in 1990, who survived after getting shot with two bullets in the head by the Iraqi military.”

Art direction[edit]
AlJasmi says that “''Diversity is important because it is a way that we are able to connect with each other and learn about each person’s heritage and culture. By working in a diverse and multicultural environment, you can have a positive influence by inspiring each other. It also opens your mind more as you can get on the creative side of things and showcase what you have learnt about each other’s culture. You are respecting one and another and appreciating each other’s heritage.''”.

Theatre[edit]
AlJasmi is working on a new theater production at the Jaber Al-Ahmad Cultural Center. The show was supposed to premiere in April 2020, however it was postponed to 2021 because of the Covid-19 pandemic restrictions. The production is titled ‘An Evening with Abdul Hussain’ and features the late Kuwaiti comedian Abdulhussain Abdulredha in a journey of nostalgia through magical places, orchestral music and live performances.

Feature films[edit]
He is writing his first feature film about an 18-year old boy during the Iraqi invasion of Kuwait in 1990.

External links[edit]
Aziz Aljasmi on IMDb.

Aziz Aljasmi on Vimeo.

Aziz Aljasmi on YouTube.