Venice Celebrates Scandar Copti’s “Happy Holidays”

The Palestinian-European co-production will spark conversations about the traditions, values and norms that shape our lives.

The compelling drama Happy Holidays marks the long-in-the-works solo directing debut of Palestinian director Scandar Copti, an Oscar nominee as co-director of Ajami (2009). Launching with a prime slot in Venice Horizons (where it nabbed Best Screenplay), the film follows an extended family of Palestinian citizens of Israel living in Haifa, allowing viewers to experience firsthand how cultural and societal perceptions are shaped. Moreover, it also showcases the effectiveness of his “Singular Drama” method, a process for working with actors that he developed while working on Ajami.

Copti says his artistic process always starts with a personal annoyance. The spark for Happy Holidays grew from a conversation he overheard as a teenager. He recalls, “A female relative of mine told her son, ‘Don’t ever let a woman tell you what to do,’ referring to his wife. This paradox made me realize just how deeply rooted patriarchal values are in our society.”

The film is divided into four chapters with ironic titles, each covering the same general time period, and each revolving around a unique character. When the various individual characters become the focus, viewers are drawn into their story. But just as the action reaches a significant moment or resolution, the audience is pulled away from that character and set off on a journey with someone new. Copti says, “The emotional shift is intentional. As we move from one point of view to the other, the events we witness take on new and sometimes unsettling meanings.”

The striking authenticity of the characters and events is attained through a process practically as time-consuming as that used by British auteur Mike Leigh, although Copti starts with a script. He says, “I worked with a complete cast of non-actors using the ‘Singular Drama’ method. This method leverages the ‘Paradox of Fiction,’ which is the human capacity to respond emotionally to fictional characters and events.”

Copti selected cast members based on their resemblance to the personalities and professions of the characters he had written. He says, “These non-actors embarked on a psychological journey through intensive ‘Singular Drama’ workshops that I led over the course of the year. In the workshops, the participants didn’t focus on text, goals or mise-en-scene, or acting techniques. Instead they explore their characters’ private history through role-playing and discussions, building relationships through experiences in the actual filming locations before the filming started.”

Copti notes that over time, the cast deeply identified with their characters, seeing them as extensions of their own personalities. “In the film, the non-actors reacted spontaneously to unfolding events without ever seeing the script or knowing the plot details. Their dialogue and behaviors came from their hearts, based on their understanding of the reality that unfolded before them.”

To support his method, Copti shot chronologically, with two handheld cameras closely following the characters and capturing situations as they naturally happened, similar to an observational documentary. This approach avoided blocking and established a logical progression in the actors’ minds, charging them with the appropriate emotions from one scene to the next and making every take unique and impossible to reproduce.

Using the “Singular Drama” method (i.e., shooting improvisations in real time) resulted in around 200 hours of footage, which took Copti 15 months to edit. He says, “This process was challenging as I had to balance my family, my day job and editing.” Luckily, his day job involves teaching the “Singular Drama” method at NYU Abu Dhabi and in extensive workshops around the world.

As a production of Palestine, Germany, France, Qatar and Italy, Happy Holidays received extensive support from Arab funds and festival platforms. Copti says, “The Doha Film Institute and the Arab Fund for Arts and Culture have a significant role in supporting and promoting Arab cinema. Their funding and mentorship have made a massive difference in helping Arab filmmakers tell our stories and grow.”

He continues, “The Final Cut program in Venice has also been a game-changer. Offering post-production grants and chances to present unfinished films to industry professionals helps Arab filmmakers complete our projects and gain international exposure. Happy Holidays won two post-production awards in the 2023 edition of Final Cut in Venice, helping us finish our film and get it out to audiences. We’re deeply grateful for all this support.”

Next up for Copti is a project titled A Childhood. It’s a documentary exploring the lives of Palestinian children living under Israeli occupation, with a particular focus on the issue of child imprisonment. He notes, “The film will incorporate testimonies collected by NGOs and mobile phone footage to expose human rights abuses. Additionally, we will use animation to reenact the children’s verbal testimonies and emotional states, bringing their experiences to life in a powerful and impactful way.”

Alissa Simon
© FIPRESCI 2024