Matthew Millan travelled from Los Angeles to Benghazi in 2011 to witness the Libyan revolution. Images he captured form the heart of his film “We win or we die,” recently shown at the Independent Arab Screen film festival in Benghazi. In an interview with Correspondents he explained what led him to the story and how important it is to give the world an accurate picture of Libya.
Matthew Millan travelled from Los Angeles to Benghazi in 2011 to witness the Libyan revolution. Images he captured form the heart of his film “We win or we die,” recently shown at the Independent Arab Screen film festival in Benghazi. In an interview with Correspondents he explained what led him to the story and how important it is to give the world an accurate picture of Libya.
When did you first come to Libya? How long did you stay?
From April 2011 until May 2012 I went back and forward to America.
You have made a film about the martyr El – Mahdi Zeo. When did you hear about him?
There was one small article in CNN, nothing big, just a few lines. It talked about El – Mahdi Zeo and I thought that is the most incredible story, a man sacrificed everything for his daughters and a chance for a new Libya and nobody is reporting on this guy. This is the greatest sacrifice. It’s very sad – but a beautiful story. My friend Hamouda was coming to Benghazi and asked me to come with him. I said ‘of course’ as I needed to find out about this story.
What did you see when you came to Benghazi?
Special things were underway those days. I remember when I first arrived, there were kids sweeping the streets, people painting the pavement. Everybody was acting like citizens, probably for the first time in their lives. They were citizens and they were expressing that by sweeping the streets or making flags and showing for the first time how they felt about Libya. Then the media center downtown in Benghazi (an impromptu press center, formed during the revolution) with all its music, arts and newspapers was one the most wonderful things I ever seen in my life.
How did Americans and Europeans and others from across the world when they saw images of Libya’s revolution?
They were very surprised – even about how you dressed. Nobody knows anything about Libya, that you dress like me, for example, nobody expects that from Libya. The country was closed to everybody, so nobody knew what Libya looked like. But people are the same. I heard the music and it was something unbelievable, something special. People really react because music is an universal language, so when they heard Libyan music they shared the joy, the happiness of playing music, of being able to talk about Gadhafi through hip hop, of being able to say bad things about the government. That’s a very big deal because for the first time in 42 years people could do that, so the music is fresh, it’s new. You hear it and you go wow, because in America music has millions of dollars of marketing: it sounds good but there is no spirit. But this music there was spirit. The next film that’s what I’m exploring: I’m going to reveal to the world the character of Benghazi because here is where the revolution started. The Italian general Graziani said: “Benghazi is the thermometer of Libya, what happens in Benghazi happens in all Libya.” In order for the revolution to start it had to happen right here. I love this city: I have lived here, I feel at home here. I have never been to Tripoli: Benghazi is the city I know, I want to do a film “Benghazi gave me a home.” I want to do a film to honor Benghazi and to honor “the Benghazinos.”
What did you think when ambassador John Christopher Stevens got killed at the American Consulate in 2011?
I know it’s not the people of Benghazi: The people of Benghazi do not do things like that. I came back to show the world what the people of Benghazi are really like, because I know what happened hurts so much. I know in Islam to a guest in your house is important and ambassador Stevens was a guest, so people are very upset that a guest under their house was killed, I lived here for almost nine months and I always felt safe.
How do you view this film festival?
I am so happy, this is a big deal, the first festival film in Benghazi. People from all over the Arab world are coming to express themselves in film and to share film making. Film makers are like musicians: There is a bridge between all of us the countries don’t matter because we are all film makers and we all love film. And I am sure that this will not be the only festival, there will be a music festival, a theater festival and other festivals and I will come to them all.
