Page 18 - March 2008 The Game

18 The Game, February 2008 Canada’s Thoroughbred Racing Newspaper
A HastingsCameramanTryingToMakeADifference
TOntario HIP gets Further Review
By Jackie Humber Eventually some of the Afghan
li Al-Rumaih is literally Refugees did open up and tell their Hastings man behind the stories. Ali explained that the refugees
he ORC has agreed to move
forward with some of the changes to the Thoroughbred Improvement Program starting in 2008. According to a Notice by the ORC on January 22, the Ontario- bred Bonus Program and the Mares’ Residency Program will go ahead
as decided in mid-December with details on the 2008 Mares’ Residency Requirements being released shortly.
However during a meeting on January 21, at which the Industry Advisory Group was to approve recommendations of long-term
stable funding, an inability to come
to a satisfactory funding arrange- ment to implement the Standardbred recommendations has forced the issue back to the Sadisky Review Panel to identify how the Horse Improvement Program can best be provided.
Watch for more information on the HIP Program in an upcoming issue of The Game.
For more information on the original proposed changes to the HIP for 2008 visit www.ontarioracingcommission. com and go to What’s New - Archive for October 11, 2007.
scenes. His expertise guides the public are angry that they are referred to as
in seeing all the action that takes place in the paddock. From the moment
the equine athletes enter the paddock until they trot past the grandstand, Al-Rumaih has the Hastings camera focused on the action.
Voluntary Immigrants by the Jordanian Government. “That is a term that really angers the people we spoke with,” he said.
The 2007 season was the rst season at Hastings for Al-Rumaih. “I really enjoy my work. It’s dealing with animals and not people. In some countries these animals are
Ali Al-Rumaih at Hastings
Each day Sekler, Ali and a
translator would speak with and lm
3 or 4 different families who would tell their stories of eeing their home country of Afghanistan. “It was a hectic schedule, because we would talk with the families for about 3 hours non stop. It was emotional at times,” admitted Ali.
considered Noble, they’re like an everyday friend,” said Ali.
is not a novice. He has lmed three other documentaries in the past and continues to look for issues that envelope his passion. “I really
enjoy social issues and political issues, stories that make a difference. There are stories everywhere, you just have to nd them,” he says.
In late October 2007, an online
ad captured the humanitarian inside Al-Rumaih. “The ad was for a camera- man to lm Afghan refugees in Jordan and Syria, so I was really interested, because it would be a good thing to do,” he said with conviction.
On October 18, Ali boarded a plane and ew to Jordan in the Middle East. When he landed, he met Producer, Joan Sekler, the Los Angeles Producer for this documentary. The lming began immediately. Ali became the Co- Producer as well as Director of photography, which means he was responsible for shooting all the lm, lighting and all the technical aspects of the documentary. “Well at rst
the people didn’t want to talk to us. There are so many lmmakers that go there. The people get tired of tell-
ing their stories and bringing up bad memories,” he said compassionately.
After 40 days of lming, they returned with close to 60 tapes full of stories. Sekler will now have those tapes edited down to create a one hour documentary covering the stories
of the Afghan refugees in their own words.
Ali left his homeland of Iraq in 1997 and spent two-years in Syria before arriving in Canada. So the thought of returning to the Middle East seemed easy for him. “I know the language and the culture and Jordan is such a beautiful city. You know that it is a very Western city. It has K.F.C. and Pizza Hut too,” he said.
Ali believes the documentary will be released in Canada this Spring.
When it comes to lm work Ali
When the 2008 racing season
begins in April, Ali hopes he will
once again be behind the Hastings camera overseeing the paddock. “I like being behind the camera, especially
if it is a story that grasps your heart.
I did something, I know I made a difference,” he said with con dence.
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The Game February 2008.indd 18
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