Black Gold

2h 10m
6.5

On the Arabian Peninsula in the 1930s, two warring leaders come face to face. The victorious Nesib, Emir of Hobeika, lays down his peace terms to rival Amar, Sultan of Salmaah. The two men agree that neither can lay claim to the area of no man’s land between them called The Yellow Belt. In return, Nesib adopts Amar’s two boys Saleeh and Auda as a guarantee against invasion. Twelve years later, Saleeh and Auda have grown into young men. Saleeh, the warrior, itches to escape his gilded cage and return to his father’s land. Auda cares only for books and the pursuit of knowledge. One day, their adopted father Nesib is visited by an American from Texas. He tells the Emir that his land is blessed with oil and promises him riches beyond his wildest imagination. Nesib imagines a realm of infinite possibility, a kingdom with roads, schools and hospitals all paid for by the black gold beneath the barren sand. There is only one problem. The precious oil is located in the Yellow Belt.

Crew

Jean-Jacques Annaud
Director, Adaptation
Alain Godard
Adaptation
Menno Meyjes
Screenplay
Hans Ruesch
Novel
Hervé Schneid
Editor
Sarah Zaanoun
Assistant Editor
Jean-Marie Dreujou
Director of Photography
Xavier Castano
Executive Producer
Tarak Ben Ammar
Producer
Pierre Quefféléan
Production Design
Denis Garnier
First Assistant Camera
Jan Rubens
Steadicam Operator
Ahmed Al Attar
Casting
Céline Pelé
Assistant Costume Designer
Sarah Ellis
Costume Design
Virginie Duranteau
Hairstylist
Nora Miladi
Makeup Artist
Susana Gomes
Second Unit Cinematographer
Lilith Bekmezian
Assistant Art Director
Thierry Poulet
Assistant Art Director
Cédric Denooz
Sound Effects Editor
Selim Azzazi
Supervising Sound Editor
Vincent Arnardi
Sound Re-Recording Mixer
Julien Perez
Sound Re-Recording Mixer
Frédéric Le Louêt
Supervising Sound Effects Editor
Nicolas Becker
Foley
Nicolas Fioraso
Foley
Jennie Evans
ADR & Dubbing
Lee Herrick
ADR & Dubbing
Absi Anis
Special Effects Coordinator
Uli Nefzer
Special Effects Supervisor
Amélie Grossier
Special Effects Makeup Artist
Christophe Chabenet
Special Effects Makeup Artist
Eric Carme
VFX Supervisor
Virginie Wintrebert
Visual Effects Coordinator
David Gourmaud
Visual Effects Editor
Laurent Ripoll
Visual Effects Editor
Benoit De Longlee
CG Supervisor
James Horner
Original Music Composer
Dick Bernstein
Music Editor
Jim Henrikson
Music Editor
Capucine Courau
Dialogue Editor
Fabienne Guillot
Set Decoration
David Koskas
Still Photographer
Natasha Gomes de Almeida
Script Supervisor
James Logan
Stunts
William Washington
Stunts
Emma Pucci
Art Direction
Virginie Berland
Wigmaker
Dorothée Soual
Wigmaker
Anita Roth
First Assistant Editor
Stéphane Linet
Armorer