Fireflies, Writing a Global Blockbuster, & Staying Motivated

So, When a withdrawn Middle Eastern man begins frequenting a Boston cafe, the headwaiter grows increasingly suspicious about the true nature of his visits, we get the awesome short film Fireflies. RA VISION Productions has put together a great body of work so far but Fireflies is something that is both poignant and culturally relevant in a way that makes it truly stand out.

The whole outcome of the film is a grim and somber reminder of the fear-mongering and hate propagation that’s rampant in the modern “so-called” news agencies and the proliferation of nonsensical hate on the web. The whole film is about the paranoia and hate. It’s so funny, before 9/11 everyone in America distrusted “blacks” and Mexicans. Now, because of the news media and the propaganda, they want us to hate and mistrust all Middle Eastern people.

I believe, wholeheartedly, that films like Fireflies are going to help break down the social stigma of being Middle Eastern and allow people to accept them as the same thoughtful, emotional, intelligent, flawed human beings that we all are. The fact that this film is able to tell such a powerful story and give a powerful message is just a demonstration of director Raouf Zaki’s ability and lead actor Essam Ferris’ skill at portraying emotion, all without uttering a single line of dialogue (except for a few bits in a flashback, but I don’t count that as part of the main events. You’ll see why.)

Fantastic film. Can’t praise it enough.