Najdat Ismail Anzour (; born November 26, 1954) is a

Syria Syria, officially the Syrian Arab Republic, is a country in West Asia located in the Eastern Mediterranean and the Levant. It borders the Mediterranean Sea to the west, Turkey to Syria–Turkey border, the north, Iraq to Iraq–Syria border, t ...

n television director of Circassian descent.

Biography

His father Ismail Anzour was the director of ''Taht sama'a Dimashq'' (translates to : ''Under Damascus Skies''), Syria's first

silent film A silent film is a film without synchronized recorded sound (or more generally, no audible dialogue). Though silent films convey narrative and emotion visually, various plot elements (such as a setting or era) or key lines of dialogue may, w ...

, in 1932. Anzour graduated as a

mechanical engineer Mechanical may refer to: Machine * Machine (mechanical), a system of mechanisms that shape the actuator input to achieve a specific application of output forces and movement * Mechanical calculator, a device used to perform the basic operations o ...

, but credits his father with encouraging him to direct films. Najdat created TV ads (numbering over 1,000), and later went into

TV series A television show, TV program (), or simply a TV show, is the general reference to any content produced for viewing on a television set that is broadcast via over-the-air, satellite, and cable, or distributed digitally on streaming platf ...

, then

films A film, also known as a movie or motion picture, is a work of Visual arts, visual art that simulates experiences and otherwise communicates ideas, stories, perceptions, emotions, or atmosphere through the use of moving images that are gen ...

. On 6 June 2016, Anzour was elected as Deputy Speaker of the Syrian Parliament together with Syria's first female Speaker of parliament, Hadiya Khalaf Abbas, Ph.D., who was elected by the People's Assembly to head the parliament. On 21 July 2017, Najdat was appointed as an interim Speaker of the Syrian parliament.

Television series

Anzour directed over 20 TV series with a distinctive style. They are mostly set in an ancient era, in the Arabian desert or oases. The series has more realistic fighting scenes and much night shooting. They often tell the story of tribal conflicts, honor, romance, etc. Normally, his work is aired in the

Muslim Muslims () are people who adhere to Islam, a Monotheism, monotheistic religion belonging to the Abrahamic religions, Abrahamic tradition. They consider the Quran, the foundational religious text of Islam, to be the verbatim word of the God ...

fasting month of

Ramadan Ramadan is the ninth month of the Islamic calendar. It is observed by Muslims worldwide as a month of fasting (''Fasting in Islam, sawm''), communal prayer (salah), reflection, and community. It is also the month in which the Quran is believed ...

, where TV viewing is at its peak in the

Arab world The Arab world ( '), formally the Arab homeland ( '), also known as the Arab nation ( '), the Arabsphere, or the Arab states, comprises a large group of countries, mainly located in West Asia and North Africa. While the majority of people in ...

. *''Al Kawaser'' *''Al Jawareh'' (The Predators). *''Romh Al Nar'' (Spear of Fire) *''Searching for Saladin'' *''The Last Cavalier'' *''Roof of the World'' (2007), based on

Ibn Fadlan Ahmad ibn Fadlan ibn al-Abbas al-Baghdadi () or simply known as Ibn Fadlan, was a 10th-century traveler from Baghdad, Abbasid Caliphate, famous for his account of his travels as a member of an embassy of the Abbasid caliph al-Muqtadir to the king ...

's tenth century travels and set in

Scandinavia Scandinavia is a subregion#Europe, subregion of northern Europe, with strong historical, cultural, and linguistic ties between its constituent peoples. ''Scandinavia'' most commonly refers to Denmark, Norway, and Sweden. It can sometimes also ...

(which Ibn Fadlan actually never visited, having gone to

Volga Bulgaria Volga Bulgaria or Volga–Kama Bulgaria (sometimes referred to as the Volga Bulgar Emirate) was a historical Bulgar state that existed between the 9th and 13th centuries around the confluence of the Volga and Kama River, in what is now Europea ...

and

Great Perm Great Perm, or Perm Land, also known as the Principality of Perm (1451–1505), is a historical region and former principality along the Kama River in Russia. The city of Cherdyn was the center of the region. The region is first mentioned in 1 ...

). *'' Qamar Bani Hashim (The Moon of Hashim Tribe)'' (2008), the first ever television biopic drama series based on the life of the Islamic prophet,

Muhammad Muhammad (8 June 632 CE) was an Arab religious and political leader and the founder of Islam. Muhammad in Islam, According to Islam, he was a prophet who was divinely inspired to preach and confirm the tawhid, monotheistic teachings of A ...

, it is also known as "Muhammad: The Final Legacy". *' (2011), a series that tells the biography of the Palestinian poet,

Mahmoud Darwish Mahmoud Darwish (; 13 March 1941 – 9 August 2008) was a Palestinians, Palestinian poet and author who was regarded as Palestine's national poet. In 1988 Darwish wrote the Palestinian Declaration of Independence, which was the formal declarat ...

Films

Some of his recent films are aired by the

Dubai Dubai (Help:IPA/English, /duːˈbaɪ/ Help:Pronunciation respelling key, ''doo-BYE''; Modern Standard Arabic, Modern Standard Arabic: ; Emirati Arabic, Emirati Arabic: , Romanization of Arabic, romanized: Help:IPA/English, /diˈbej/) is the Lis ...

based Middle East Broadcasting Corporation and aim to end the terrorism committed by Muslim extremists. Although his work is supported by many Muslims, others object to his vilification of terrorist actions . *''Al-Hour al-Eyn (Beautiful Virgins)'' (2005) traces the lives of attackers, victims, and survivors of the November 2003 terrorist bombings of

Riyadh Riyadh is the capital and largest city of Saudi Arabia. It is also the capital of the Riyadh Province and the centre of the Riyadh Governorate. Located on the eastern bank of Wadi Hanifa, the current form of the metropolis largely emerged in th ...

, and challenged the popular belief among many terrorists that they would be rewarded with seventy-two beautiful virgins each in heaven. This film was viewed by an estimated fifty million people. *"Renegades" (2006) is one episode is a series called ''Always'' by Hatem Ali. In Anzour's "Renegades" episode the subject is how the terrorists who bombed the London underground in 2005 were not true Muslims because they acted with violence. The episode also points out that good Muslims were killed by the attacks as well as innocent non-Muslims. * King of the Sands (2013) is a history film in English which was criticised by Saudi house power and mass

censorship Censorship is the suppression of speech, public communication, or other information. This may be done on the basis that such material is considered objectionable, harmful, sensitive, or "inconvenient". Censorship can be conducted by governmen ...

not only in

Saudi Arabia Saudi Arabia, officially the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA), is a country in West Asia. Located in the centre of the Middle East, it covers the bulk of the Arabian Peninsula and has a land area of about , making it the List of Asian countries ...

but also in countries who are allied with

House of Saud The House of Saud ( ) is the ruling royal family of Saudi Arabia. It is composed of the descendants of Muhammad bin Saud, founder of the Emirate of Diriyah, known as the First Saudi State, (1727–1818), and his brothers, though the ruling ...

in the

Middle East The Middle East (term originally coined in English language) is a geopolitical region encompassing the Arabian Peninsula, the Levant, Turkey, Egypt, Iran, and Iraq. The term came into widespread usage by the United Kingdom and western Eur ...

and

Western countries The Western world, also known as the West, primarily refers to various nations and states in Western Europe, Northern America, and Australasia; with some debate as to whether those in Eastern Europe and Latin America also constitute the West. ...

. *"Fania wa tatabaddad (Mortal and Dispersing)" (2016), the story of an 11-year-old girl abducted by the

Islamic State The Islamic State (IS), also known as the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL), the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) and Daesh, is a transnational Salafi jihadism, Salafi jihadist organization and unrecognized quasi-state. IS ...

and then rescued by the forces of the Syrian Arab Army. The movie shows tortures and abuses operated by Daesh in its conquered territories. *Re judiciary 2016 (in Arabic : رد القضاء)

Future films

''Oppression: Years of Torment'' (Arabic:الظلم : سنوات العذاب) is film whose production was due to start in 2008. The film is about the Libyan national hero Omar Al-Mokhtar, was written by

Muammar Gaddafi Muammar Muhammad Abu Minyar al-Gaddafi (20 October 2011) was a Libyan military officer, revolutionary, politician and political theorist who ruled Libya from 1969 until Killing of Muammar Gaddafi, his assassination by Libyan Anti-Gaddafi ...

, and was announced to be directed by Anzour. High-profile actors including

Anthony Hopkins Sir Philip Anthony Hopkins (born 31 December 1937) is a Welsh actor. Considered one of Britain's most recognisable and prolific actors, he is known for List of Anthony Hopkins performances, his performances on the screen and stage. Hopkins ha ...

Kevin Spacey Kevin Spacey Fowler (born July 26, 1959) is an American actor. Known for Kevin Spacey on screen and stage, his work on stage and screen, he List of awards and nominations received by Kevin Spacey, has received numerous accolades, including two ...

and

Ben Kingsley Sir Ben Kingsley (born Krishna Pandit Bhanji; 31 December 1943) is an English actor. He has received List of awards and nominations received by Ben Kingsley, various accolades throughout Ben Kingsley on screen and stage, his career spanning fi ...

have been courted, albeit without any current confirmation. At first

Omar Sharif Omar Sharif (, ; born Michel Yusef Dimitri Chalhoub ; 10 April 1932 – 10 July 2015) was an Egyptian actor, generally regarded as one of his country's greatest male film stars. He began his career in his native country in the 1950s. He is bes ...

had been also announced to be in the cast playing Omar Al-Mokhtar. However, he withdrew later stating that he had other engagements as a pretext.Yallabina! - Out of fear Omar El Sherif chooses Hasan We Morkos
Retrieved 2008-04-14 The shooting of the film was announced to start on the Italian Tremiti islands on 14 April 2008 for 6 daysSyria-News
"Anzour" to start shooting the film "Oppression: Years of Torment tomorrow on Tremi island(''sic'') "(''sic'')أنزور" يبدأ تصوير فيلم " الظلم - سنوات العذاب" على جزيرة "تريمي"
Retrieved 14 April 2008 , which is the same islands many Libyans where deported to during the Italian occupation of Libya. There are no recent indications, however, that filming ever commenced, and it appears that the project may be on hold.

References

External links

* Donna Abu-Nasr
"New Syrian TV Show Angers Some Arabs"
''ABC News'', October 10, 2005. * Craig Nelson

''Statesman.com'', November 28, 2005. * Michael Slackman

''New York Times'', July 6, 2006. * Deborah Amos. ttps://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=6055951 "Ramadan TV Special Sends Anti-Terrorism Message" NPR's ''All Things Considered'', September 11, 2006. {{DEFAULTSORT:Anzour, Najdat Ismail Living people 1954 births People from Aleppo Syrian television directors Syrian people of Circassian descent