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By Sharon Hepburn, 麻豆官网首页入口 Fresh producer

Khat is a ground-breaking documentary that sheds light on a little understood subject. Ibrahim has got some great access, to the wholesaler for instance, which gives this film real originality. It鈥檚 also timely. The government announced its intention to ban Khat just after Ibrahim made this film, so when it was published on Fresh it was a really hot topic and got lots of viewers in its first weeks on the site. It remains one of the most watched films and this is down to its originality.

For a new filmmaker, tackling a current affairs subject, especially a controversial one, is a big ask. But Ibrahim has gone about it with confidence and determination. He has had to deal with a lot of different issues to make this film, such as gaining contributor confidence so that they will take part, dealing with members of the pubic to get the vox pops and directing a presenter on location. He鈥檚 also needed journalistic skills, to be as impartial as he can be and make sure that the film is factually accurate. These are all great skills to have as a filmmaker working on current affairs-type docs.

The music and time-lapse sequences give the film a lift in terms of tone and energy and the poem at the end adds humour. Khat is an ongoing story and I can see how Ibrahim could really 鈥渙wn鈥� this story and make a follow-up film or update and extend this one.