Sea Shadow (film)

Last updated
Sea Shadow
Sea Shadow poster.jpg
Theatrical release poster
Directed byNawaf Al-Janahi
Written byMohammed Hassan Ahmed
Produced byDaniela Tully
Rami Yasin
StarringOmar Al Mulla
Neven Madi
Abrar Al Hamad
CinematographyPaulo Ares
Edited byTony Ruthnam
Raul Skopecz
Music byIbrahim Al-Amiri
Production
company
Release date
  • October 19, 2011 (2011-10-19)(United Arab Emirates)
Running time
98 minutes
CountryUnited Arab Emirates
LanguageArabic
Budget3.67 million AED (US$1 million)

Sea Shadow is a 2011 Emirati coming-of-age film written by Mohammed Hassan Ahmed and directed by Nawaf Al-Janahi. The film was the first from Image Nation to be filmed in the United Arab Emirates. The film premiered at the Abu Dhabi Film Festival in October 2011 and was released in theaters throughout the Arab states of the Persian Gulf in November 2011. It premiered in the United States at the Palm Springs International Film Festival in January 2012.

Contents

Synopsis

Two Emirati teenagers, Mansoor and Kaltham, live in a small neighborhood by the sea. They face their families' traditional values as they consider what paths to take as adults. [1]

Cast

Omar Al-Mulla... Mansoor
Neven Madi ... Kaltham
Arbar Al-Hamad... Sultan
Aisha Abdul Rahman... Umm Mansoor
Bilal Abdullah... Abu Mansoor
Ahmad Iraj... Jasim
Hasan Rajab... Abu Jasim
Ali Al-Jabri... Shahid

Production

Sea Shadow is written by Mohammed Hassan Ahmed and directed by Nawaf Al-Janahi, who directed the short film Mirrors of Silence and the feature film The Circle. Al-Janahi read the screenplay for Sea Shadow in late 2009 and was considering directing it when Imagenation Abu Dhabi (now Image Nation), impressed with The Circle, approached him with the opportunity to direct. [2] The company, founded in 2008, developed and financed Sea Shadow as its first film to be produced in the United Arab Emirates. [3] Reuters reported that Sea Shadow deals with the theme of modernization among Arab societies in the Persian Gulf region. The story moves from Ras al-Khaimah through Dubai to Abu Dhabi. Screenwriter Ahmed said, "The aim is to reflect a completely Emirati atmosphere, from the towers, buildings and modern cities to the old quarters where Emiratis still live." [4] With a production budget of 3.67 million AED, [5] filming took place in October and November 2010. [3]

Release

The film had its world premiere on October 19, 2011 at the Abu Dhabi Film Festival. It was theatrically released on November 17, 2011 across the United Arab Emirates, Qatar, Kuwait, Oman and Bahrain. [6] Sea Shadow made its United States premiere on January 12, 2012 at the Palm Springs International Film Festival. [7] The film was released on DVD in the United Arab Emirates on September 25, 2013. [8]

Critical reception

Mark Adams at Screen Daily called Sea Shadow "a gentle and delightfully shot" film. He said it lacked "real drama" but made up for it "in terms of charming performances and deep-rooted sense of honesty". [9] Jay Weissberg at Variety said the film did not connect scenes well enough. He said of the main characters, "Scenes between the two friends are the strong point here, but simple dialogue crosses the line from unsophisticated to simplistic, and the pic rarely comes alive." [10]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">United Arab Emirates</span> Country in West Asia

The United Arab Emirates, or simply the Emirates, is a country in West Asia, in the Middle East. It is located at the eastern end of the Arabian Peninsula and shares borders with Oman and Saudi Arabia, while also having maritime borders in the Persian Gulf with Qatar and Iran. Abu Dhabi is the country's capital, while Dubai, the most populous city, is an international hub.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rashid bin Saeed Al Maktoum</span> 2nd Prime Minister of the United Arab Emirates (1912–1990)

Sheikh Rashid bin Saeed Al Maktoum was an Emirati royal, politician and a founder of the United Arab Emirates. Al Maktoum was the first vice president and second prime minister of the United Arab Emirates, and was the ruler of Dubai. He ruled Dubai for 32 years from 1958 until his death in 1990. He was the vice president from the founding of the UAE until his death. Al Maktoum was the first vice president to serve as prime minister concurrently, when he became prime minister on 30 April 1979. Every prime minister after him was de facto also vice president.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">United Arab Emirates at the 2004 Summer Olympics</span> Sporting event delegation

The United Arab Emirates competed at the 2004 Summer Olympics in Athens, Greece, from 13 to 29 August 2004. This was the nation's sixth consecutive appearance at the Olympics.

Najat Makki is an Emirati visual artist. She is a member of the Dubai Cultural Council. and one of the pioneers in Emirati contemporary art scene.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cinema of the United Arab Emirates</span> Filmmaking in the UAE

Cinema of the United Arab Emirates began with a number of feature films that were broadcast on national television since the late 1980s.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Nujoom Al-Ghanem</span> Emirati poet, artist and film director (born 1962)

Nujoom Alghanem(Arabic: نجوم الغانم) is an Emirati poet, artist and film director. She has published eight poetry collections and has directed more than twenty films. Alghanem is active in her community and is considered a well established writer and filmmaker in the Arab world. Her achievements in the arts have been recognized both nationally and internationally. She is the cofounder of Nahar Productions, a film production company based in Dubai. Currently she works as a professional mentor in filmmaking and creative writing, as well as a cultural and media consultant.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Abu Dhabi Film Festival</span>

The Abu Dhabi Film Festival, formerly the Middle East International Film Festival (MEIFF), was an international film festival held in the city of Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates from 2007 to 2015.

Ousha bint Khalifa Al Suwaidi also known as Fatat Al-Arab, Ousha Al Sha'er was an Emirati poet. She is regarded as among the finest Arabic Nabati poets.

Saeed Salem Saleh Salem Al Kathiri, also called Saeed Al Kathiri, is an Emirati footballer who plays as a defender. He has played for the United Arab Emirates national football team since 2010.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tropfest Arabia</span>

Image Nation, formerly known as Imagenation Abu Dhabi, is an Emirati film production and media company that acts as a subsidiary of the governmental Media Zone Authority Abu Dhabi (MZA), which in turn is based at twofour54 in Abu Dhabi, the United Arab Emirates. It was founded in 2007 as a platform for development of regional talent and productions and has two divisions, Image Nation Abu Dhabi and Image Nation International for co-production of international films etc., and a joint venture, Parkes + MacDonald Image Nation. The company was renamed Image Nation in October 2011, formed those two divisions, and is led by Mohamed Al Mubarak, Chairman of the Board for Image Nation, and Michael Garin, Chief Executive Officer.

<i>Djinn</i> (2013 film) 2013 Emirati film

Djinn is a 2013 Emirati supernatural horror film directed by Tobe Hooper and written by David Tully. It is set in the United Arab Emirates and features the djinn. The film, produced by Image Nation, is in both Arabic and English languages. The film's theatrical release has been delayed since 2011. Djinn premiered at the Abu Dhabi Film Festival on 25 October 2013.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Nayla Al Khaja</span>

Nāyla al-Khāja is the first female screenwriter, director, and producer in the United Arab Emirates. Al-Khaja's films have screened at more than 42 film festivals worldwide.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">United Arab Emirates at the 2016 Summer Olympics</span> Sporting event delegation

United Arab Emirates competed at the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro, from 5 to 21 August 2016. This was the nation's ninth consecutive appearance at the Summer Olympics.

<i>Going to Heaven</i> 2015 Emirati film

Going to Heaven is a 2015 Emirati film directed by Saeed Salmeen Al-Murry, Produced by Amer Salmeen and starring Jumaa Ibrahim Al Zaabi, Ahmed Ibrahim Al Zaabi, Fatima Al Taei, Mariam Sultan and Abdullah Masood. Its plot is set in the United Arab Emirates. The story is about a young 11 years old boy called Sultan who travels from Abu Dhabi to Fujairah with his best friend, Saud, to reunite with his maternal, far gone grandmother, who is estranged from the family.

Ihab Darwish is an Emirati composer, Universal Music Artist, and Recording Academy voting member. Darwish has been playing music since the age of ten and grew up in a family that supported his passion for music and composing. He received his Bachelors in Advertising and Art Design from the Lebanese American University in Beirut.Years after graduation, Darwish designed and created his own home recording studio equipped with state of the art instruments and technology. He has experimented with music for years, working mainly in the genre of classical music.

Majid Al Ansari, is an Emirati filmmaker. He is best known as the director of critically acclaimed film Zinzana: Rattle the Cage and Netflix's first Egyptian television series Paranormal.

<i>Al Kameen</i> 2021 Emirati action-war film

Al Kameen is a 2021 Emirati action-war film directed by Pierre Morel and written by Brandon Birtell and Kurtis Birtell. The film is based on the true story of a 2018 ambush of Emirati soldiers by insurgents. As of December 2021, it is highest grossing Emirati and Arabic-language film ever in the UAE.

References

  1. ↑ "Films". Image Nation . Retrieved October 3, 2012.
  2. ↑ Aftab, Kareem (May 15, 2010). "Emirati film-making comes of age". The National . Retrieved October 3, 2012.
  3. 1 2 Lodderhose, Diana (May 15, 2010). "'Sea Shadow' set for production". Variety .
  4. ↑ Hammond, Andrew (November 3, 2010). "Hollywood stars latest weapon in Gulf Arab cinema wars". Reuters.
  5. ↑ Saeed, Saeed (November 17, 2011). "Great expectations shouldered by everyone in Sea Shadow". The National . Retrieved October 3, 2012.
  6. ↑ Staff (October 9, 2011). "Emirati Movie 'Sea Shadow' to World Premiere at Abu Dhabi Film Festival". Image Nation . Retrieved October 3, 2012.
  7. ↑ Staff (January 9, 2012). "Today's entertainment news: Sea Shadow debuts in North America". The National . Retrieved October 3, 2012.
  8. ↑ Staff (September 2013). "Image Nation's first Emirati film to be released on DVD". one8one. Black Iris FZ. Retrieved March 2, 2014.
  9. ↑ Adams, Mark (October 28, 2011). "Sea Shadow". Screen Daily . Retrieved October 3, 2012.
  10. ↑ Weissberg, Jay (November 3, 2011). "Sea Shadow". Variety . Archived from the original on October 12, 2013.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.