BLESSED BENEFIT: Ahmad, a construction worker gets tangled up in an unfortunate business deal leading him to prison. He meets fraudster Ibrahim, who ruins his last hope to prove his innocence. Ahmad is awakened by the realization that life in prison might be better than the one that he has on the outside.
On a blazing hot day during the month of Ramadan, Ahmad, a 36 year old construction worker, is arrested for using a client’s down-payment to help his cousin, Abu Wafa in a deal of 10 brand new Macintosh laptops hoping to make a small profit from it in a matter of three days. Due to custom procedures the imported laptops are not released in time. Unable to do the job neither pay the money back, Ahmad is sentenced to four months in prison for fraud.
On his way into the police station, Ahmad meets Ibrahim, a professional fraudster, who is on his way out of prison after a two-year sentence. While in prison, Ahmad becomes worried about his family and is desperate to find a way out as soon as possible. When Abu Wafa tells him that the laptops will be cleared from customs and his debt repaid soon, Ahmad is convinced he will get out and spend “Alfitir” at home with his wife and kids. When the laptops are finally released, Abu Wafa advertises them in the newspapers for a quick sale. Ibrahim sees no better catch than this ad and manages to take the laptops. When Ahmad hears the news, he realizes that his last hope to be released is shattered. Meanwhile, his family’s financial situation is only getting worse.
CENTAUR: is a quiet, small and modest man, a loving father of a little boy that has never spoken a word and the husband of young, deaf-mute Maripa. Together they lead a simple life in a small village of Kyrgyzstan. Centaur is above all a respected man among his neighbours, a man beyond any suspicion, but he has a belief deeply rooted inside him. He still believes that Kyrgyz people once united and invincible thanks to their horses, have been punished by Heavens for misusing that power to achieve their mercenary goals; Beyond any suspicion, Centaur becomes a horse thief, as he thinks only a genuine racer riding at night and praying for forgiveness can write off the curse. But his well-hidden secret cannot be kept for long. When the truth shines, he will need to decide the destiny of his family, co-villagers and his own.
Andre Matthias took private piano and composition lessons before studying Musicology at the University of Hamburg. An avid fan of film music since the age of 12, he composed his first scores for the Hamburg University Players. After finishing his Master's Degree, he scored many student films and the odd feature length project in between, before breaking onto the big screen with THE DRUMMER (nominated for Best Original Film Score at the 27th Hong Kong Film Awards). His next movies were, amongst others, the critically acclaimed THE LIGHT THIEF, the futuristic thriller CONTROL and the award winning BLESSED BENEFIT and CENTAUR.
Andre Matthias took private piano and composition lessons before studying Musicology at the University of Hamburg. An avid fan of film music since the age of 12, he composed his first scores for the Hamburg University Players. After finishing his Master's Degree, he scored many student films and the odd feature length project in between, before breaking onto the big screen with THE DRUMMER (nominated for Best Original Film Score at the 27th Hong Kong Film Awards). His next movies were, amongst others, the critically acclaimed THE LIGHT THIEF, the futuristic thriller CONTROL and the award winning BLESSED BENEFIT and CENTAUR.
Over the last year or so, I have gotten to know of Andre Matthias work and since then... really have enjoyed the music... I may never see the films the scores are attached to, one thing for certain is... the music stands on it's own!
For More Details: http://www.andrematthias.com/
Jeremy [Six Strings]
