Translator: Fatıma Nur Dinçer
Tariq Elmeri, is a Libyan film producer currently living in London. Elmeri’s productions cover issues such as culture, identity, and the youth, which are broadcast on television, while others are shared via social media. Tariq Elmeri also has a YouTube channel, where he shared his experience and tips in film production. Alongside this, he has also released a podcast series. Tariq Elmeri, who said he was interested in cameras from childhood, started taking lessons on filming during his university education in America. He expresses himself in the following way:
Filming made me feel as though I had a voice, I could see the world through my own lens.
When he returned to his home country in 2007, he started working as a computer engineer, and as a result of his desire to share what life in Libya is like with others on YouTube, he brought his first camera.
With the starting of the Libyan Revolution, Elmeri made informative short films with a few friends and later founded his own production company and worked freelance for international broadcasters such as Aljazeera, France24, and the BBC. These short films aimed to address issues that society ignored or misrepresented. After a while, when Tariq’s interest in filmmaking grew, he applied to the National School of Film and Television in England and became one of the eight students accepted for a master’s degree in documentary directing. In 2 years, he carried out 5 productions, 2 of these which were on the topic of Muslim youth facing an identity crisis.
The aim with my productions is to enlighten minds. I always start my films with a question about the main topic. In the process of constructing the film, I take care to learn something new every time. The topics I mentioned are topics I am personally curious about, such as identity confusion and the culture amongst the youth.
One of his works, The Cave, questioned whether there is room for individuality in faith on the axis of music, while another production, Forest Gate Girls, focused on the identity confusion experienced by Muslim youth living in the UK. The producer was awarded one of the UK’s most prestigious awards, the Grierson Awards, for his work.
This article was originally written in Turkish. Click to read it! Müslüman Film Prodüktörü: Tariq Elmeri
University student. She likes to read books, see new places and try different flavors.
