Freej

History

FREEJ started off as a six-page study book in 1998, but did not materialise 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 Mohammed bin Rashid Establishment for Young Business Leaders (SME), who took on the initial funding of the project. In September 2005, with around 3 million Dhs of funding provided by the SME [2], Lammtara Pictures was established to oversee the production and a team of almost 500 people were signed up to make this big dream a reality.

The series premiered on 24 September 2006 – the first day of Ramadan [3], and was broadcast across the GCC countries on 'Sama Dubai' (Dubai's Sky), one of Dubai's many TV channels, which broadcasts mainly local material. The series was an instant success and a major hit in the region [4] with high viewership in the Gulf especially among UAE Nationals.

In 2007, Dubai One, an English Channel (which is also part of DMI) announced that Freej would still be Arabic in Dubai One but with English subtitles and put two episodes a week before TMZ.

In 2008, Season 2 DVDs were released in September at Toys R Us and other outlets.

In 2010, via a partnership deal with Turner Broadcasting System, Lammtara, the Dubai-based studio company behind Freej's production, had agreed to broadcast the show on the newly launched Cartoon Network Arabic channel, making Freej one of the first home-produced shows for that channel, along with the Jordanian series Ben & Izzy. Additionally, the main characters from Freej were used in a localised version of Skatoony at April 12, 2011.

Rights

The show is now officially associated with Dubai Media City, Awraq Publishing, Arab Radio Network, JBM and the Mohammed bin Rashid Establishment for Young Business Leaders (SME). The show also benefited from a pool of 100 volunteers from across all national universities, who worked on its research and development.

Development

Mohammed Saeed Harib began developing the concept while attending Northeastern University in Boston, Massachusetts. A professor asked his class to create superheroes originating from their culture. Harib selected the Emirati women of previous generations as the heroes, because they worked and taught in difficult climates and financial environments. While the men in his grandfathers' generation dove for pearls, their wives accomplished the other tasks. Harib added "On top of that she looked very unique, thanks to the mask she was wearing. Hence my first character was born."

All four voice actors are Harib's personal friends. They had no previous acting experience, and Harib believed that audiences would accept them since "they were your regular local person." He had held script readings with these friends, and Harib said they matched perfectly. Harib previously held a casting for 60 people, and he said that "none of them spoke to the woman that was in my head."

The production has about 500 employees, with Harib in charge. Harib created all of the main characters. He works with the actors and, with the scriptwriters, develops the scripts. He personally revises the draft scripts.

Freej does not discuss politics. Harib said that the show does not discuss current issues because he wants something that lives, so must use themes which can withstand the passage of time." Harib has said his Dubaian nationality affects his choice of subjects but that the television stations do not force the production to avoid discussing certain subjects.

Characters

The show stars four main characters, all elderly women who wear Bedouin face masks. The women's names refer to their eldest sons. "Um" means "mother of". Mohammed Saeed Harib created all of the main characters.

Um Saeed

Um Saeed (أم سعيد)

The group gathers at her house everyday

Majid Al Falasi (ماجد الفلاسي) is the voice actor. This was Mohammed Saeed Harib's first character. "Saeed" was the name of his father, and "Um Saeed" is Harib's homage to his paternal grandmother.

Um Saloom

Um Saloom (أم سلوم)

Abdullah Husain (عبدالله حسين) is the voice actor.

Um Allawi

Um Allawi (أم علاوي)

Since Um Allawi is of a Persian heritage, she does not have an exact Emirati accent. She speaks multiple languages. Ashjan (أشجان) is the voice actor.

Um Khammas

Um Khammas (أم خمّاس)

Salem Jassim (سالم جاسم) is the voice actor. Jassim says that he likes Um Khammas because "she is the classic Bedouin character and reminds me of my grandmother."

Guest/Others

Seasons

Freej's seasons premier every Ramadan, and are sometimes re-aired later in the year. Season One aired in 2006 and Season Two aired in 2007. On September 1(Ramadan 1), 2008 the third season aired its finale on September 12, 2008, and re-aired its episodes for the rest of Ramadan. The show then went on a hiatus, not releasing any new official episodes for the next four years, in spite of the characters appearing in other animated productions for promotional reasons.

As of 2012, the fourth season has been completed and the fifth season is in production. The fourth season premiered on Cartoon Network Arabic starting November 4, 2012.

Mohammed Saeed Harib said, in relation to the first and second seasons, that "it was in my head, I was the only one who could express it." For subsequent seasons, he said "I have a very good team, they know the parameters. We say “Um Saloom would not say that” or “OK, this fits her”."

Trivia

The second season first episode was watched by 680,000 viewers, making it one of the most watched shows in Dubai.

The show was 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.

Controversy

In the episode called "Blagh El Kazeb", Um Khamas was going to die in ten days. Um Saeed councils Um Khamas and helps her straighten herself out. Um Khamas then becomes strongly religious and is miraculously cured. In this episode Um Khamas says derogatory things about Islam, which provoked criticism from some viewers. In defence, Mohammed Saeed Hareb said that the episode reflects how Muslims can wander and become "bad" but that Um Saeed corrects Um Khamas and helps her straighten herself out. This episode was not broadcast in the rerun of the season.

In an episode that was broadcast on 12 August 2011, Um Saeed had a heart attack while visiting patients at a hospital after being insulted by a friend. She "dies" at the end of the episode as the nurses and doctors run in to attempt to restart her heart. After the credits had finished, Um Saeed's heart miraculously began to beat again (She would later return in Season 5 Ep 1)

Freej 2009: The Book Of Riddles and The Special

On Ramadan 2009 Freej aired a quiz show that was 2–3 minutes long. The prize was 500,000 AED. Freej was to get a special hour-long episode that would air on Eid, featuring a surprise guest.

Reception

The Economist said "the show has gained the region-wide, cross-generational popularity of an Arab "Simpsons" and "[t]his depiction of raucous and irreverent Arab matriarchs has proved to be a revelation."

Mohammed Saeed Harib said that Freej is popular because there were few quality productions in the Arab world, and because the residents of the Arab world had watched many imported shows and wanted local shows reflecting the Arab culture.

Harib said that his grandmother's generation "love it to bits", noting that they have seen the country evolve from some small village in a desert to a place with the tallest skyscraper in the world. He believes their interest is related to adapting to the new generation.

Writers

The following writers have contributed to this TV show:

Legacy

The Flydubai safety video features characters from Freej.