By 2021, Hassan had a cult following. But he had also developed a reputation for being difficult—not in personality, but in principle. He refused grants with political strings attached. He walked away from a potential BBC deal because they requested a “more relatable narrator.” He once famously returned a $50,000 development award from a Gulf royal family foundation, citing “artistic unsuitability of the funding source.”
“Netflix doesn’t want films. They want content. Content requires a beginning, a middle, and an end—preferably with a climax every twelve minutes. My films don’t have climaxes. My films have pauses. They have silence. They have boredom. Netflix’s algorithm would murder my work in the first act.” hussein who said no netflix
Critics from The Hollywood Reporter noted that the film succeeds most when it leans into its action-packed, torch-lit night scenes and high-tension desert ambushes. The score by Oscar-winner Stephen Warbeck further elevates these moments, providing a passionate, sweeping backdrop to the impending tragedy. By 2021, Hassan had a cult following
The industry reaction was split.
But the most credible, well-sourced version of the story points to one man: , an Egyptian-born, Paris-based filmmaker known for deeply experimental, slow-cinema documentaries. He walked away from a potential BBC deal
He is funding the film through a combination of European arts grants, a crowdfunding campaign that explicitly forbids anyone from donating more than €50, and his own savings.