Arab News
2 Women, one company and Kingdom to film
Dania Nassief and Danya Alhamrani are determined to add something of value to society, so in 2007 they created Eggdancer Productions, a licensed Jeddah-based film-production company that produces films for television.
"We really believe in what we're doing. To the best of our knowledge, we're the only ones producing TV shows and documentaries exclusively as opposed to producing TV commercials or renting equipment to others," said Alhamrani. "It's been difficult trying to make people understand our work as people here don't have the concept of what we do."
Despite this challenge, Nassief and Alhamrani are truly passionate about their work. Their focus is on production for TV shows and documentaries. They handle it from A to Z ... They come up with the idea, they come up with the concept and then they do pre-production, production and post-production for the concept.
Alhamrani's earlier films included a short documentary in 2002 following four non-Muslims as they try out fasting during Ramadan. Another film titled "The Straight Path" chronicles the day-to-day life Nora, a young Saudi college student studying advertising, as she juggles career and her religious obligations. These enterprising entrepreneurs took diverse routes to realize a shared passion. Dania Nassief graduated from the University of Southampton with a master's degree in information systems, while Danya Alhamrani graduated from the San Diego State University with a master's in TV and film production. In 2007, the women succeeded in turning their projects into a licensed production company. But they say the path hasn't been easy.
"It's very difficult to work in production especially as women," said Nassief, Eggdancer Productions chief operating officer. In 2007, Eggdancer produced its first pilot project, entitled "Khushu Almatbakh" ("Get Into the Kitchen"). The idea was to take an unconventional approach to the typical cooking program by using as its host a young man with no culinary experience. They're currently in negotiations to sell the idea to networks.
"The idea is that if 'I can do it then you can do it'," said Alhamrani. "The program is aimed at the younger generation — both boys and girls. People in general are afraid of cooking. We want to show people that cooking is fun."
Eggdancer has also completed a pilot called "Kalam Kabeer" ("Big Talk"), which features college and high school students — men and women — speaking about themselves.
"We interviewed young people asking them, from a list of prepared questions, about different social issues. Littering, poverty, love...etc," said Alhamrani. "What was interesting is that when we framed the questions, we also wrote down answers we expected from the young boys and girls. But when we did the show none of what we expected was said ... So we had to rethink our concept and rework everything and this too was very interesting for us."
One of the problems Nassief and Alhamrani faced while working on "Kalam Kabeer" is that people were very wary of being on TV. When they had initial interviews with the candidates, everyone talked freely.
"But they never say the same stuff on TV ... There are still social constraints. People are still worried about how their families will react," said Alhamrani.
During last year's Haj season, Eggdancer Productions teamed up with a leading Canada-based production company to create an IMAX film about the Haj. "I was the only woman working in the field. Working on the IMAX film was an amazing learning experience," said Alhamrani.
In an attempt to show the world a different side of Saudi Arabia, Alhamrani submitted a video to a contest hosted by the Travel Channel's "No Reservations" program, which featured renowned chef Anthony Bourdain as he travels the world trying out exotic, regional cuisines. The submission was selected out of 1,300 films, and because of Alhamrani's work Bourdain came to Jeddah in May to produce an episode of his program. The footage is currently in post-production. In the short piece, Alhamrani offered to take Bourdain on a tour of Jeddah's diverse cuisine, including traditional bedou food such as roasted camel meat and dubb, a species of desert-dwelling lizard.
"Ms. Alhamrani is a rather extraordinary woman, and it's a real opportunity here to work with her and to learn more about a country that for many remains a mystery," said Bourdain on the website for his program. "I know that few Americans really know anything about Saudi Arabia and everyday Saudi life — I certainly do not. Danya proposed a very well-thought-out, well-balanced hour of television in a place entirely out of my previous range of experience — and that is where we're going."
The episode features Saudi food in a program that will air to millions of television viewers abroad. Alhamrani worked as Bourdain's "fixer," a term that applies to locals who help out foreign correspondents and producers with a range of tasks, from translating to acquiring permissions to film.
"I was pretty confident that there would be interest since this is an area of the world where there aren't many visitors and people are interested in knowing more about it," she said.
Despite the thrill of bringing a superstar chef to Jeddah to celebrate the city's wide array of cuisine, Alhamrani laments the general attitude that only foreigners have the talent and permission to produce films in Saudi Arabia.
"We bring people from outside to come and make films about us and pay them millions and millions and millions," she said. "We don't trust our own people to tell our own story. And when these people are paid these hefty sums to tell a story about us, they get it all wrong," said Alhamrani. "With Anthony Bourdain I had a great experience. It's not about politics. It's about the food, the people and the culture. We're hoping it's going to be different so I'm waiting to see ... You never know until the edit is over," said Alhamrani.
Another problem that frustrates the Eggdancer Productions team is that Saudi corporations and Saudi individuals offer small amounts of money to local producers expecting them to offer them the world.
"So many times BBC comes here and makes stuff happen ... They get to do stories that we can't do. It's frustrating to see others doing these things, but not us," said Alhamrani.
The Eggdancer Productions webpage - www.eggdancer.com — has helped connect these two enterprising young Saudi women them with people from all over the Kingdom and outside the country.
"We're getting worldwide recognition. We have people writing to us from Italy, US, India ... etc," said Alhamrani. "Our vision is to incorporate an educational component in our films to add something to society and to build the skills of local people and help them develop who they are in this industry," she added.
Arab News
Eggdancer triumphs with 'No Reservations'
IT BEGAN as a lark. Encouraged by her husband, Saudi director Danya Alhamrani submitted a video for the "Anthony Bourdain: No Reservations FAN-atic Special" casting call with the goal of convincing Bourdain to shoot an episode of the series in the Kingdom. Alhamrani's video was selected as one of four finalists from a pool of over 1,300 video submissions. After a second interview process, conducted by Bourdain and the producers at Zero Point Zero, Alhamrani was chosen to guide the "No Reservations" team on a visit to Jeddah.
The Emmy-nominated Travel Channel series, "No Reservations" is now in its fifth season. In the series, Bourdain and the producers at Zero Point Zero travel the globe hoping to "encounter the weird, wild and downright outrageous personalities and places that help define the international cultural landscape."
Most of Bourdain's career has been in the restaurant industry so it is the foreign food that best captures his attention when he is out on the road. Bourdain believes that food is the first glimpse of a wider view of how people live their lives in faraway lands and unfamiliar territories.
When she was told that a "No Reservations" episode would be produced in the Kingdom, Alhamrani was initially apprehensive that the visas for the film crew could be obtained in time, but the Ministry of Culture and Information helped deal with that issue.
Alhamrani's colleague at Eggdancer Productions, Dania Nassief, came through on logistics, with Eggdancer eventually being credited as a field coordinator on the episode. At the end of April, Bourdain's production team arrived in the Kingdom and then in May, Bourdain himself flew in for the actual filming, guided by Alhamrani.
The episode has now aired to excellent reviews and overwhelmingly positive viewer response as evidenced by online message board postings. Blogs about the episode from the crew, Alhamrani and Bourdain (www.travelchannel.com/TV_Shows/Anthony_Bourdain) provide perspective on the making of the episode. At the "No Reservations" Web page are also photos taken during the filming and a description of the episode in which Bourdain feasts on chicken, goat, lizard, sheep and camel — a carnivore's delight.
It seems that Bourdain genuinely enjoyed his time in the Kingdom. On his blog he wrote: "If there was one really big surprise, it's that so many Saudis we met had a sense of humor. This is not what you'd expect after watching '60 Minutes' or 'Dateline' or various hard news descriptions of life in the Kingdom. Fact is we met a lot of funny, good-natured, very, very generous people over there. They actually had the capacity to laugh at themselves. They were all too aware of how they look to outsiders."
The "FAN-atic Special" on Saudi Arabia won't be available on satellite television in the Kingdom for a while, but it has already been posted on YouTube. My favorite clip is www.youtube.com/watch?v=n34vtukb8J0 where Bourdain can be seen reading the Middle East's most popular English language daily.
Common Ground News
Women managers in Saudi Arabia
Female Film Company Unveils Saudi Arabia
By DANYA M. ALHAMRANI
In the summer of 2006, I partnered with my friend Dania Nassief to establish our own production company in Jeddah. We wanted to tell the world the stories hardly ever told of Saudi life and culture. The paper chase was long and drawn out. Currently, Saudi Arabian regulations require the general manager of a production company to be male. As women, we not only wanted to own the production company ourselves, but we also wanted to manage it. It took us some time to petition the government for this right. But finally, two years later, Dania and I are licensed and practicing.
Our goal at Eggdancer Productions is to produce inquiring and moving programs that examine social, cultural and religious issues. We believe in using the media to affect social change and are committed to fostering dialogue and greater understanding amongst the people of this region, and to bring their stories, concerns, values and ideas to the rest of the world.
Most people probably wouldn't put Saudi Arabia on their list of vacation destinations. Unless you're coming for work or pilgrimage, there is no easy way to get into Saudi as a tourist. In general, people don't get to see Saudi Arabia unless it's in the news where it is usually painted in a less than flattering light.
Eggdancer Productions, serving as the field coordinator for a program on the Travel Channel, recently had the opportunity to show the world a little bit about Saudi Arabia -- that Saudi women can be strong in charge, that we have malls similar to those in America, and that we like to enjoy our time with family and friends, like everyone else. I had won the first-ever "Anthony Bourdain: No Reservations FAN-atic Special" casting call competition for a television show on the Travel Channel. The contest required individuals to send in videotapes explaining why the show's host, chef and author, Anthony Bourdain, should visit the contestants' hometowns.
When I first met him in New York City as he was vetting the contestants, Tony asked me repeatedly whether I thought he would have fun in Saudi, reflecting a common bias in Western media that Saudi Arabia does not value leisure and recreation, and that local inhabitants are somber, serious, or even evil.
When he arrived in Jeddah, we dined together at a local fast food restaurant, went fishing for fresh fish in the desert, and played air hockey at the local Red Sea Mall. His answer to my frequent question -- "So, are you having fun?" -- was a resounding "yes."
Although Tony never spoke to me about his expectations of Saudi Arabia, in the narration of his Jeddah episode he commented how he was surprised to find that Saudis were people with a sense of humor and who could laugh at themselves: "There's a cheerful, whimsical, good-humored and sophisticated atmosphere very much at odds with the kinds of humorless fanaticism I was led to expect".
I think Tony's revelation helped a lot of people see a different side of Saudis than that depicted on television or in movies.
In other attempts to transform perceptions, we have filmed people performing the Hajj for the documentary, "The Straight Path: Pillars of Islam," a teacher's aid for high school and university students in the West. Using interviews and observational footage filmed in colorful locations in Mecca, the documentary introduces a non-Muslim audience to the basic tenants of a Muslim's faith.
We are in a unique position because of our ability to understand both the Eastern and Western mentality and to navigate seamlessly between both worlds. Although I live in Saudi Arabia now, I was born in Bismarck, North Dakota, and spent many summers there with my mother's side of the family. I later went to school at both the University of San Diego and San Diego State University. I still spend a lot of time in the United States visiting friends and family whenever I get the chance. And Dania lived in the U.K. for a few years while she was attending graduate school.
We are lucky to be on the ground in Saudi. It is difficult to obtain visas and shooting permissions when coming from abroad, and in a time when all eyes are on Saudi Arabia, we are able to leave our offices, cameras in hand, and tell the story without going through that hassle.
Most stories in or about Saudi Arabia are done from the perspective of non-Arabs or non-Muslims, and are sensationalized versions of the same story being told over and over. We want to tell different stories, from the perspective of the people on this side of the world, tailored for a western audience so that we might do our part to help build bridges of understanding between these different parts of the world.
Loaded Bow
The film and television industry - anywhere - is without question male dominated. But in Saudi Arabia, even a female-owned company had to be managed by a man. Danya M Alhamrani and Dania Nassief did not want to settle for the status quo, so they faught and won the right to manage their company, Eggdancer Productions. This independent television production company is seeking to inspire social change and dialogue through media. Eggdancer took a time out to share their experiences with us.
Loaded Bow: Can you tell us a little bit about your story?
Eggdancer Productions: Eggdancer Productions is an independent film and TV production company based in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. It was founded in 2006 by Danya and Dania. We are not the first female owned production company. However, currently in Saudi Arabia, a production company that is owned by a woman must have a male as the manager. We didn't want to run our company this way. We own the company and we want to manage it ourselves. So for two years or more we fought for this right and finally were granted it. So we are officially the first production company run by females without the presence of a male.
LB: In addition to the challenges of launching your company as women, you have also spoken about the difficulty of receiving Saudi support. In one interview, Danya describes how foreigners are brought into your country to tell your story. Where do you think this resistance stems from?
EP: I think there is a lack or trust in the capabilities of local filmmakers as well as an ignorance of their existence in general. To be honest though, we do lack professionals in the field and so locals tend to trust people coming from outside the country to do the job before they would trust someone from here.
LB: You recently worked on an episode on No Reservations in Saudi Arabia, after winning a contest to host the show in your home country. What was this experience like for you?
EP: It was a wonderful experience hosting Mr Bourdain and his crew in Jeddah. It was a great opportunity to be able to show the world a different side of Saudi Arabia, one they rarely see, the family, friends, fun and food.
LB: The response to Amy Teuteberg's blog post about the episode was remarkable. Do you feel a sense of responsibility to represent Saudi women in a certain way?
EP: We loved Amy's blog. It was great to hear about the experience, from a Western, non-Muslim woman's perspective. So often we find that the media portrays us as oppressed and downtrodden based on how we dress, Amy was able to see something else and share it with others through her writing.
In many ways we do feel a responsibility to represent Saudi women. We don't go out of our way to do anything special, but just by being ourselves and being willing to share that with others we feel that we at least are showing people what and who we are as Saudi women, not what someone's impression of a Saudi woman is.
LB: Eggdancer is such an interesting name! Does it have a story behind it?
EP: We wanted a name that would stick with people, something they would remember. There are many meanings to our name but usually when people ask me what it means I ask them back "what does it mean to you?"
LB: How do you select the projects that you work on? Who is your audience?
EP: We produce documentaries and TV shows that examine social, cultural and religious issues. We choose our projects based on what we find interesting and what we enjoy working on. Our audience is split into two main groups. Our local, Arab, audience and an international audience. Our work differs depending on what audience we are producing for. We believe in using the media to affect social change and are committed to fostering a greater understanding of the people of this region, and to bring their stories to the rest of the world.
LB: What is your vision for Eggdancer? Where would you like to see it go?
EP: We want to continue the work we love and would like to gain experience and grow as professionals and as a company.
Design Magazine
MULTI-MEDIA: eggdancer productions
By Marriam N. Mossalli
Sundance, Meet Eggdancer
Eggdancer Productions is the brainchild of two very ambitious women. Friends for over 19 years, Danya Alhamrani (DA), a freelancer in the Kingdom for years, decided to join forces with Dania Nassief (DN), a former MIS faculty member from Dar Al Hikma. Together, they created a film production company that focuses on independent projects, such as documentaries and television programs, in an attempt to narrate Saudi culture and support the development of the industry in the Kingdom.
"People are unaware of the value of the media," asserts DA, the director, who steers clear from advertisements. "Our vision is to educate people through entertainment," illuminates DN, the producer, "We want to educate and entertain." By selecting projects that serve the purpose of reflecting Arab and Muslim society, Eggdancer exposes viewers to a misrepresented culture. This educational mission is not only limited to their audiences, but also extends to the people who make up their crew. A strong advocate for local talent, "Eggdancer trains and helps in the development of their skills," explains DA. "The quality of work suffers due to the inexperience of the people in the field here," elaborates DN. Eggdancer Productions aims to provide an enriching experience, both on-screen and off, through their creative endeavors.
Two of their most impressive projects were IMAX™ The Greatest Journey, and "Anthony Bourdain: No Reservations. The Greatest Journey, a documentary, chronicles Ibin Matutah's pilgrimage to Mecca, while the latter (which can be viewed in parts on youtube) is an episode of the Travel Channel's hit show with DA as host of Bourdain's trip to Saudi Arabia.
Rated as one of the top five episodes of the Travel Channel's number one show, DA is proud of the collaboration. She felt it allowed the voice of Saudi to be the narrator for once, "We are sick of other people telling our story. With the Bourdain project we were able to talk about us—food and culture, not just the usual politics." She further asserts, "Usually when the West tells the story of our region; its either we're a terrorist or a rehabilitated terrorist." But there is an international audience of people who are intrigued by Saudis. "Not only abroad is there an audience, [but] even the local people here were happy to be portrayed positively," adds DA. Eggdancer creates projects intended for two different audiences. The locales are targeted to inspire and incite dialogue on social, cultural, and religious issues, while an international audience is sought after in order to bridge the gap and educate people about Arabs and Muslims.
In terms of the production process, Eggdancer first secures financing, completes a project, and then approaches a network to buy and air it. Because Eggdancer focuses on independent projects that depend on financial sponsors, it is important to emphasize the significance of this support. The need for patrons in the film medium needs to extend past Rotana and the Emirates. With the financial crisis affecting the world, Hollywood directors (even Spike Lee!) are seeking to steal financial support from the Gulf. DA argues, "We should help our own people and industry. In order for the industry to survive, we need both moral and financial support from the Arab community."
The Dany-ias love what they're doing, but they never said it was easy. "It's difficult working here; people usually lack the technical expertise and have [yet] to refine their skills," elaborates DN. "The industry is a mess," concludes DA, "so its really hard." The lack of cinemas and established production companies adds to the chaos of the field. "Film festivals are often missed because there's no way to know about them in time," DA complains. Yet in comparison to working in the States, she confesses, "There are way more opportunities here [in Saudi Arabia], and it's faster to climb the ladder. In the US, I was just carrying apple boxes around for a long time at the beginning, but I eventually moved on." Both women see huge potential in Saudi Arabia. With the increase interest of Saudi Arabia by the international community, Design magazine is sure it won't be long before an Eggdancer Production is screened at Sundance Film Festival!
Eggdancer is always in need of freelancers and sponsors. If you are interested, please visit www.eggdancer.com
A Half Dozen of Advice
--Be professional! You're part of a team and in order for things to function smoothly, professionalism is absolutely required! (Much like your first cup of coffee in the morning!)
--Don't be arrogant! You're never as good as you think. Remember, there is always someone who knows more than you.
--Be open to learning! This is your chance to absorb everything! So be a sponge and apply what you learned.
--It's not all glamour! This industry can be fun, but it's usually not. Expect to work 14-16 hour days. You're always exhausted; it's a lot of hard work.
-- Don't sell out! Stick behind your values and artistic creativity. You want to produce things that you'll be proud to have in your portfolio.
--If you don't love it, don't do it! It's a field for the dedicated and truly passionate. You need to know that this is what you want to do.
Middle East Digital Productions
Female producers carve niche in Saudi Arabia
Eggdancer Productions is not your typical production house in Saudi Arabia. Perhaps its most notable difference is that it is run by two women — producer Danya Alhamrani and director Dania Nassief — who don't just own the company but are an integral part of the team that cover the action.
Recently, the production house secured the opportunity to create a programme titled Akla wa Hikaya that went on air on Saudi TV Channel 1 during Ramadan.
The 30-part travel, food, and culture series explored the diverse world of Saudi's most traditional cuisine.
"From Taif's fragrant rose water to Riyadh's famous Marqooq, the elements of food and location blend together to reveal the various themes of history, tradition and pride in Saudi's heritage as we visit each part of the Kingdom. Over the course of 30 episodes, this television series explores a unique, cultural look at Saudi Arabia, with food at the forefront," explains Alhamrani, who goes by the title of chief creative officer at Eggdancer Productions.
The series was shot on the Sony HVR-Z1U HDV camera with a small crew across different parts of the Kingdom.
"We travelled to a new location every day. We would arrive in the city, meet with the local fixer, and start shooting. More often than not, we would be shooting 18-hour days," explains Nassief, COO and producer at the company.
"Because of the tight schedule, we were shooting and editing at the same time. As we couldn't fly directly from some cities to the others, we would stop over at Jeddah. This gave us enough time to deliver our tapes to the editors and download footage from our hard drives. The rough cut would then be sent with time-code to be viewed remotely," she adds.
Filming food is no easy task, confesses the duo. Although food is traditionally shot on 35mm to make it appealing with excessive lighting and styling, Eggdancer opted for a documentary approach to shooting this project.
"Traditional food photography demands extensive styling, lighting and preparation. So much work goes into preparing food for commercials and they are usually shot in a studio with a production designer, food stylist, and a full lighting crew," says Alhamrani.
"However, we usually work with existing light and rarely manipulate the location we are shooting in. It's surprising how frequently you'll find light coming in from the windows of an industrial kitchen lending a romantic air to the place. We just work with what's available to give the food an enticing look.
"Many times our subjects are inside restaurants with windows or under awnings outdoors. We expose our subject and often have to deal with blow out in the background. But I actually like it when the picture is somewhat over exposed. Stylistically, it's what my eye gravitates to," she adds.
The duo worked with director of photography (DoP) Camilo Moreno on this project.
"He tends to work with us on most of our projects and has become somewhat of a permanent figure at Eggdancer," explains Nassief.
"We work with freelancers on most of our projects and tend to work with the same people most of the time. When we find people we enjoy working with, we stick with them," she adds.
For this project, the team used two cameras and employed a very small crew.
"There were usually no more than four of us traveling at a time. We had the producer, the director, the DP and the production manager. A local fixer would also accompany us to each location. More often than not the driver would also double up as a PA," Nassief adds.
One of the biggest challenges of this project was perhaps the tight time schedules, explains the duo.
"There was often very little time for preparation between the time we arrived on location and had to get the cameras rolling. We had so little time to shoot each episode. As soon as we arrived at any given location, we would have to do a quick scout, make decisions about the light and the angles and start shooting," explains Alhamrani.
"More often than not, we were shooting in restaurants that were preparing for their lunch run, so if we missed the fish being thrown into the pot to be fried, that was it. There was no retake. We always had to be on the ball, because we had only one chance to get it right and if we missed it, there would be no time to come back and re-shoot on another day."
The duo reiterates that in keeping with the documentary style, authenticity was key.
"We wanted the food to be as authentic as possible so we went around looking for the best known restaurants, caterers and even homes, where they cooked food that was most representative of the region we were filming in. Sometimes we got lucky and were able to shoot in outdoor locations, on mountaintops or in the desert," says Alhamrani.
"We also base our cinematography on what's available. Usually filmmakers try to create light from scratch, but since we were shooting a documentary style TV show, we just had to work with what was out there.
There's so much beauty in the world as it is. A string of naked bulbs hanging from somebody's store in a night market or a fluorescent light above a dark alley can be so beautiful," she adds.
One other challenge was also dealing with the disappointment of coming to a place to shoot something and not being able to get what they wanted.
"Some people assumed we would be filming a typical cooking show. We would always call them and say 'we will show up before you start', which was very often before 8 am and sometimes before 4 am depending on what was being cooked and when it was served. We would ask them to do nothing until we got there, not even chop an onion. We wanted the hustle and bustle of the kitchen in the background. But sometimes they thought they were being helpful and would prepare everything for us before we got there and all we would be able to film was them throwing all the ingredients into the pot and it was over. That was very disappointing," explains Al hamrani.
Besides these, the heat was as much a challenge for the equipment as it was for the crew, explains Nassief.
"We would be shooting outdoors in 55 degrees at noon and would think that was as bad as it could get," she says.
Alhamrani seconds that.
"We would then go into the kitchen where there were high flames all around, and no fans, and the temperature would jump to 60 degrees. We thought we would faint while the person in the kitchen wouldn't even break a sweat! The cameras would be so hot that if your arm brushed against the side of the camera it would burn your skin. We were always worried that the heat would cause the cameras to malfunction. The cameras were abused because of the nature of the shooting environment but the Z1U is a workhorse and was able to handle whatever situation it was in," she says.
For the two women, working with freelancers and traveling around the Kingdom was the least of their troubles. They even deny that the restrictive nature of the Kingdom has ever been a cog in their wheel.
"This is still a young country when it comes to film, and there are so many interesting stories to be told. We are just scratching the surface," Nassief states.
Working in this field in the Kingdom, however, is not without its challenges.
For one, Alhamrani laments the lack of "working professionals in this field".
"These days everyone is a filmmaker, which is great. However, it's difficult to find someone you can rely on to get the job done right. This is why we work with people from abroad to come in and help us train the locals who want to work in this industry," she explains.
The two women have reason to be proud of their work. It has been four years since they launched Eggdancer Productions and over time, they've done several different projects profitably despite the fact that they have not ventured into television commercials.
"To the best of our knowledge, we are the first production company in Saudi Arabia, owned and run exclusively by women. So far, we have produced only TV shows and documentaries. We haven't ventured into TVCs and have no intention to pursue it at the moment," explains Alhamrani.
In a country that has often been accused of relegating its womenfolk to the background, Eggdancer Productions is a clear testimony to the silent revolution that is at work in the Kingdom.