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by Jean-Pierre Hué won The Best Documentary prize and a Diamond
Award at BIAFF 2010.
The film shows life in the Yemen, with special emphasis on how Khat, a controlled drug in many countries, is used as widely and innocently as coffee in Europe with no apparent harm to the population. |
![]() For ages I had wanted to go to Yemen with my wife Annie. But the news stories deterred us, until that day in October 2009 when we met a Frenchman who lived for 15 years in Yemen. He put us in contact with an official travel agency in Sana'a (Yemen's capital). A fortnight later, we landed in Yemen. In the interim I researched the possible topics I might tackle in the time available. I chose the national phenomenon of qât, then phoned our contact asking him to organise the trip to Sana'a and to a family living in the mountains. |
![]() It was not possible to film women without their veils, except in the family and among close neighbours. But what we were permitted was enough. We constantly appreciated the hospitality and the food, pure, simple and well cooked. The only downside was ... no alcohol. But when you are thirsty, nothing beats a little cool water. |
![]() ![]() In short, it was an adventure that we probably appreciated more than any other. It left only one desire: to return soon. On our return, we received an email from Abdul: "I did not feel like a guide with his customers, but a son with his parents." |
- Jean-Pierre Hué
"Traditionally, qât has been used as a socializing drug, and this is still very much the case in Yemen where qât chewing is predominantly, although not exclusively, a male habit."
"Qât is so popular in Yemen that its cultivation consumes much of the
country's agricultural resources. It is estimated that 40%* of the country's
water supply goes towards irrigating it, with production increasing by about
10% to 15% every year. Water consumption is so high that groundwater levels
in the Sanaa basin are diminishing; because of this, government officials
have proposed relocating large portions of the population of Sanaa to the
coast of the Red Sea."
- notes from
Wikipedia
* The figure accepted in Yemen in 30% as quoted in the film.