Al-Laith Hajjo
Al-Laith Hajjo grew up in an artistic environment that had a great influence on his later choice in dealing with art as an instrument of expression before being just a career. His father, the late artist Omar Hajjo, was passionate about the theater, which was his instrument of expressing his ideas and issue that was always concerned with the complex political, social and economic environment and for his absolute belief that art is the highest and most influential means of dialogue. From the beginning of the seventies to the end of the nineties of the last century and before the spread of satellite channels, the theater has largest role in the establishment of an artistic case affecting the society directly.
He was fortunate enough to accompany the most important of these performances “The Teshreen Theater” performances «Tishreen village- Ghurbah – Kask Ya Watan», written by the great writer Mohamed Elmaghout and the artist Duraid Lahham with a group of the most important Syrians stars. His father who was one of the members of this group and a key partner in the manufacture of those plays that have been able to spread to the world in general and for years long passing all the narrow lines of control and speaking to the largest segment of the Arab public though differentiation of dialects and cultures, and because of his presence among the members of this group in their tours and frequent performances and attend these performances, but not from the public point of view, but through the backstage of the theater where he was interested in the audience itself more than the play, and hence began his relationship with the recipient of the art material, and came his feeling how this dialogue and art have a great influence on society. With the spread of satellite channels in the early 1990s and the flourishing of the television drama industry, there was an opportunity to learn about the basics of this new and attractive industry.
He was not yet decided what role he would play in this art industry. His presence alongside one of the most important Syrian directors, Haitham Hakki, who had come from the world of cinema to television Due to the absence of the appropriate film production, the great influence in establishing a cinematic language in television and the transfer of his great experience in dealing with all elements of this industry where he taught many technicians and artists who enriched the TV drama. Hajjo was fortuned to work with him in his most important series “khan Al-Hareer, Thuraya”. And then he moved to work with different types of television production, including historical and comedy, specifically with the most famous series «Mirrors or Maraya» of the artist Yasser Al-Azma and with a group of directors such as Hatem Ali and Maamoun al-Bunni.
In 2001, was the turning point toward working as a director, where he got his first opportunity, and then there was no project quite clear in terms of text so the only solution was to form a workshop with the participation of a group of friends who share this ambition and with the support of many artists and stars. So, the result was “Spotlight” series, which has continued so far and is rotated by several directors.
He made the documentary film «Windows of the Soul» in 2010, in partnership with Dr. Ammar al-Ani. In 2018, he attended a workshop conducted by the European Union to activate the role of the woman in drama. The workshop was attended by a group of Syrian writers and directors, and the result was a group of short films, which was “The Cord” one of them directed by Allaith Hajjo and which is considered the first and long-delayed step to enter the world of cinema and featured films.