Freej

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Freej (2006)
Format Animated situation comedy
Created by Mohammed Saeed Harib
Starring Um Saeed

Um Saloom

Um Allawi

Um Khammas
Country of origin Flag of the United Arab Emirates United Arab Emirates
No. of episodes 45
Production
Running time approx. 0:30 (per episode)
Broadcast
Original channel Sama Dubai
Original airing 2006
External links
IMDb profile

FREEJ (In Arabic: فريج meaning "neighbourhood") is a 3D animated series Produced in the United Arab Emirates; [1] produced by Mohammed Saeed Harib, who also directs the fifteen standalone episodes of fifteen minutes each. It is the tale of four old national women living in a secluded neighbourhood in modern day Dubai. The show’s main characters; Um Saeed, Um Saloom, Um Allawi and Um Khammas try to live a peaceful life in the midst of the ever-expanding city around them, but the city’s boom unveils new social issues every day that they would have to tackle solve in their own simple way. For those four old women, there is no issue too hard to crack with a good cup of coffee at Um Saeed’s house.

Contents

[edit] History

FREEJ started of as a six page study book in 1998 but it never materialised until 2003 when it was adopted by Dubai Media City. A small demo was created to test the concept and shortly after it was given the official go ahead by the Sheikh Mohammed Establishment for Young Business Leaders (SME) who took on the initial funding of the project. In September 2005, with around 3 million Dhs of fund provided by the SME [2], Lammtara Pictures was established to overlook the production and a team of almost 500 people were signed up to make this big dream a reality.

The series was premiered on 23 September 2006 – the first day of Ramadan [3], and was broadcasted across the GCC countries on 'Sama Dubai' (Dubai's Sky), one of Dubai's many TV channels and which is majorly aimed for the broadcast of local programs and material. The series became an instant success and a major hit in the region [4] with immense viewership in the Gulf especially among UAE Nationals. freej.jpg

[edit] Rights

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The show is now in official association with Dubai Media City, Awraq Publishing, Arab Radio Network, JBM and the Sheikh Mohammed Establishment for Young Business Leaders (SME). The show also benefited from a pool of 100 volunteers from across all national universities who worked hard on the research and development part of it.

[edit] Characters

Stars four main characters:

[edit] Um Saeed

  • Eldest member of the group and the wisest
  • Loves reciting poetry and old traditional sayings
  • Has a short posture
  • Very sarcastic in nature
  • Addicted to coffee
  • The group gathers at her house everyday
  • Shortest member of the group

[edit] Um Saloom

  • The kindest member of the quartet.
  • Suffers from temporary memory loss.
  • Never leads and always tags along.

[edit] Um Allawi

  • The tallest member of the group and the most educated.
  • Addicted to all kinds of gizmos and gadgets.
  • Has her own mobile and laptop.
  • She is a close follower of the stock market.

[edit] Um Khammas

  • The rebellious member of the group.
  • A three time widow.
  • Runs her own catering service and traditional music band.
  • Has a very dictating strong personality.

[edit] Guest/Others

  • Khalid Herya (Arabic : خالد حرية ) - National Figure known for being the best football supporter in the Middle East
  • Um Jameel
  • The Tribe Advisor
  • Zubaidah
  • Rahmah the Teacher
  • Bu Daryah
  • Um Al Duwais
  • Bu Khammas
  • Rafeeq
  • Dalouat Dubai
  • Um Um Khammas
  • Agha

[edit] Criticism

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FREEJ has received some criticism such as:

  • Some episodes were pointless or lame.
  • Claimed to be cultural.
  • Very weak dialogue.

"Those who criticize it fail to see that it is made by Emiratis for Emiratis or don't like seeing the success of young Emiratis in producing something that portrays our culture in a beautiful and modern way" (Anonymous Emirati) However, its creator Mohammed Saeed Harib welcomed any constructive criticism to avoid any flaws in the future.

[edit] Trivia

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The second season first episode was watched by 680,000 viewers making it one of the most watched shows in Dubai.[citation needed] Voted number one show of all Dubai. In the second season the writer Najla El Shihi wrote six episodes and Amna Al Mansoori wrote nine.

[edit] Controversy

In the episode called "Blagh El Kazeb" Um Kamas was going to die in ten days. Um Saeed councils Um Kamas and helps her straighten herself out. Um Kamas then becomes strongly religious and is miraculously cured. In this episode Um Kamas says derogatory things about Islam and this cause the typical knee-jerk over-reaction and was condemned as yet another insult to all religious Muslims. In defence Mohammed Saeed Hareb said that the episode reflects how Muslims can wander and become "bad" but that Um Saeed corrects Um Kamas and helps her straightens herself out.

[edit] References

[edit] External links

  • Freej Official website - The official website for the animated series.
  • Gulfnews.com - An article about supporting Freej from Zayed Univercity.
  • Oman3d.com - An early Omani article regarding the anticipation of the series.
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