Musa Syeed, director of Kashmir-set Valley Of Saints, is re-teaming with producer Nicholas Bruckman and DoP Yoni Brook to shoot his next feature The Cycle in the Republic of Yemen.
“After Kashmir, I wanted to shoot my next film in an unknown and dangerous place. With the experience we gained from making Valley of Saints, we feel pretty comfortable,” Syeed told Screen. “It’s a fast-paced, gritty thriller set in a beautiful, complex and virtually unknown country.”
The Cycle chronicles a teenager’s journey to find his stolen motorcycle that becomes increasingly dangerous as he navigates the tribal politics, corrupt police and deadly militants of modern Yemen.
Syeed said he chose to set his next film in Yemen because it is one of the least developed and under-represented countries in the Gulf. “Not many stories are being told about Yemen,” he said.
The Cycle will be shot on real locations with non-professional actors in 2013. Having received development funds from private investors, Syeed is currently busy casting for the project.
“After the Arab spring in Egypt, it will be interesting to explore the relationship between US and Yemen,” said the New York-based filmmaker of Kashmiri origin.
Syeed’s feature debut Valley Of Saints won the World Cinema Audience Award (Dramatic) and Alfred P. Sloan Feature Film Prize at Sundance Film Festival 2012. It is screening in the Muhr AsiaAfrica competition here in Dubai.
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