Black Gold (2012 film)
Encyclopedia
Black Gold is an upcoming epic drama film directed by Jean-Jacques Annaud
and Produced by Tarak Ben Ammar Chairman of Quinta Communications and Co-produced by Doha Film Institute, Qatar. The movie has a budget of US$55 million which is one of the most expensive films backed by an Arab about an Arab subject.
Nesib imagines a realm of infinite possibility, a kingdom with roads, schools and hospitals all paid for by the black gold beneath the barren sand. There is only one problem. The precious oil is located in the Yellow Belt.
Saleeh is killed in his attempts to escape and return to his father’s kingdom. The task of negotiating peace between the two kingdoms falls to young Auda. Nesib orchestrates the wedding of his beautiful daughter, Princess Leila (FREIDA PINTO) to Auda. Though that union is borne of political convenience, ridding Nesib of his final obligations to his peace treaty with Amar, for Auda and Leyla their marriage is the symbol of a new beginning, a love that began in their childhood and the chance to shape the world around them. Auda is sent to Salmaah as an envoy of peace. Reunited with his father Amar, he discovers a new outlook on life, one based on devotion, piety and humility. His father offers him a seemingly impossible task, to cross the forbidding Garden of Allah, along with his half-brother Ali (RIZ AHMED) as a decoy with nothing more than a ragtag army of thieves. The idea is to trick Nessib and allow Amar to mobilise his real army and conquer the kingdom of Hobeika. Through his journey, which is filled with many spectacular battles against rival tribes and clansmen and sees him free the beautiful slave girl Aicha (LIYA KEBEDE), Auda is transformed from a librarian into a leader.
The stage is now set for an epic showdown for control of the Yellow Belt, for control of the two kingdoms, for control of the future.
Jean-Jacques Annaud
Jean-Jacques Annaud is a French film director, film producer and screenwriter.- Biography :Annaud was born in Juvisy-sur-Orge, Essonne...
and Produced by Tarak Ben Ammar Chairman of Quinta Communications and Co-produced by Doha Film Institute, Qatar. The movie has a budget of US$55 million which is one of the most expensive films backed by an Arab about an Arab subject.
Plot
Under the unforgiving desert sky, two warring leaders come face to face. The bodies of their warriors litter the battlefield. The victorious Nesib, Emir of Hobeika (ANTONIO BANDERAS), lays down his peace terms to his rival Amar, Sultan of Salmaah (MARK STRONG). The two men agree that neither may lay claim to the area of no man’s land between them called The Yellow Belt. In return, Nesib will adopt Amar’s two boys Saleeh (AKIN GAZI) and Auda (TAHAR RAHIM) as a guarantee that neither man can invade the other. Years later, Saleeh and Auda have grown into young men. Saleeh, the warrior, itches to escape his gilded cage and return to his father’s land. Auda cares only for books and the pursuit of knowledge. One day, their adopted father Nesib is visited by an American oil man from Texas (COREY JOHNSON). He tells the Emir that his land is blessed with oil and promises him riches beyond his wildest imagination.Nesib imagines a realm of infinite possibility, a kingdom with roads, schools and hospitals all paid for by the black gold beneath the barren sand. There is only one problem. The precious oil is located in the Yellow Belt.
Saleeh is killed in his attempts to escape and return to his father’s kingdom. The task of negotiating peace between the two kingdoms falls to young Auda. Nesib orchestrates the wedding of his beautiful daughter, Princess Leila (FREIDA PINTO) to Auda. Though that union is borne of political convenience, ridding Nesib of his final obligations to his peace treaty with Amar, for Auda and Leyla their marriage is the symbol of a new beginning, a love that began in their childhood and the chance to shape the world around them. Auda is sent to Salmaah as an envoy of peace. Reunited with his father Amar, he discovers a new outlook on life, one based on devotion, piety and humility. His father offers him a seemingly impossible task, to cross the forbidding Garden of Allah, along with his half-brother Ali (RIZ AHMED) as a decoy with nothing more than a ragtag army of thieves. The idea is to trick Nessib and allow Amar to mobilise his real army and conquer the kingdom of Hobeika. Through his journey, which is filled with many spectacular battles against rival tribes and clansmen and sees him free the beautiful slave girl Aicha (LIYA KEBEDE), Auda is transformed from a librarian into a leader.
The stage is now set for an epic showdown for control of the Yellow Belt, for control of the two kingdoms, for control of the future.
Cast
- Tahar RahimTahar RahimTahar Rahim is a French actor of Algerian origin. Born in Belfort, France, his family is originally from the region of Oran, Algeria....
as Prince Auda - Antonio BanderasAntonio BanderasJosé Antonio Domínguez Banderas , better known as Antonio Banderas, is a Spanish film actor, film director, film producer and singer...
as Emir Nesib - Mark StrongMark StrongMark Strong is an English actor, with a body of work in both films and television. He has performed in films as varied as Body of Lies, Syriana, The Young Victoria, Sherlock Holmes, RocknRolla, Stardust, and Kick-Ass...
as Sultan Amar - Freida PintoFreida PintoFreida Pinto is an Indian actress and model best known for her portrayal of Latika in the 2008 Academy Award winning film Slumdog Millionaire, for which she won a Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture...
as Princess Leyla - Riz AhmedRiz AhmedRizwan Ahmed , also known as Riz Ahmed, the Rizmeister General, or Riz MC, is a British MC, musician and actor. He is noted for his lead performances in The Road to Guantanamo, Shifty, Britz, and Four Lions.-Ethnic background:Ahmed is a British Pakistani...
as Dr. Ali - Corey JohnsonCorey JohnsonCorey Johnson is an American actor largely active in the United Kingdom. Johnson was born John Johnson in New Orleans, Louisiana....
as Thurkettle - Liya KebedeLiya KebedeLiya Kebede is an Ethiopian model, maternal health advocate, clothing designer and actress who has appeared three times on the cover of US Vogue . According to Forbes, Kebede was eleventh-highest-paid top model in the world in 2007...
as Aicha - Lotfi Dziri as Sheikh of Beni Sirri tribe
- Hichem RostomHichem RostomHichem Rostom is a Tunisian actor. He has appeared in 28 films and television shows since 1987. He starred in Golden Horseshoes, which was screened in the Un Certain Regard section at the 1989 festival.-Selected filmography:...
as Nesibi Colonel - Mostafa GaafarMostafa GaafarMostafa Gaafar is an Egyptian footballer. He currently plays for El Zamalek. He transferred from Baladeyet Al-Mahalla and has shown his brilliant dribbling ability and calm finishing, prompting Egyptian National team coach Hassan Shehata to call him up to the national team...
as Khoz Ahmed - Jamal Al-Awar as Companion Khoz Ahmed