Black Gold
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The victorious Nesib, Emir of Hobeika, lays down his peace terms to his rival Amar, Sultan of Salmaah. The two men agree that neither can 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 and Auda as a guarantee that neither man can invade the other.
Twelve 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 from Texas. 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. |
| Director: | Jean-Jacques Annaud |
| Writer: | Jean-Jacques Annaud, Menno Meyjes |
| Producer: | Tarak Ben Ammar |
| Cast: | Freida Pinto (Leyla), Antonio Banderas (Nassib), Mark Strong (Amar), Tahar Rahim (Auda), Riz Ahmed (Dr. Ali), Liya Kebede (Aicha), Akin Gazi (Saleeh). Click here for full cast & crew |
| Genre: | Adventure, Drama | Budget: | $55 million |
| Runtime: | 130 minutes | Box office (worldwide): | |
| MPAA rating: | |||
| Filming dates: | October-December, 2010 | ||
| Filming locations: | Tunisia, Quatar and the Sahara desert | ||
| World premiere: | October 25, 2011 at Doha Tribeca Film Festival | ||
| US release: | 2012 | ||
| Official website: | BlackGold-TheMovie.com | ||
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Trivia and Fun Facts
- This is Qatar’s first major international co-production.
- The battle scenes were shot in the deserts of Qatar and took over four weeks to shoot.
- Filming took place in Tunisia during the Jasmine Revolution that led to the overthrow of President Zine El Abidine Ben Ali. Still, filming finished on-schedule and on-budget with no interference.
Production Notes and Cast Quotes
“It was terrifying. There was a civil war going on. People were burning down shops and malls; there was killing and bloodshed. I was stuck in this massive hotel with 354 rooms and only six guests. The lights kept shutting down, and there was a 5:00 P.M. curfew. But I wasn’t there by myself: Dev Patel came down to see me. I was so glad I had company.” (Freida Pinto on filming the movie during the civil war in Tunisia)
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