A love story between the son of the executioner (Al-Sayyaf) and the daughter of the wedding singer (Al-Taqaqa) in a popular neighborhood in the center of Riyadh, full of contradictions and mysteries, about which revolve the events of the Saudi film "Had Al-Tar", which was recently nominated by the Kingdom for the Oscar in the category of Best Foreign Film.

The film was nominated by the Saudi Committee for the Oscars, headed by the CEO of the Film Authority Abdullah Al-Ayaf, and includes: director Haifaa Al-Mansour, critic and director Hana Al-Omair, director of the organizing committee of the Red Sea Festival, producer Mohammed Al-Turki, and director of the Saudi Film Festival Ahmed Al-Mulla. .

With this nomination, the film will compete with films from the rest of the world, and will pass through several screening stages, before announcing the initial and then final list that will be chosen by the American Academy of Sciences and Arts, which awards the Oscars, and whose winner will be announced at the 94th session ceremony that will be held at Dolby Theater in Los Angeles on March 27th.

societal differences

The story of the film reflects the secrets of the society of the working class in the era of the nineties of the last century, where the film discusses the idea of ​​class and societal differences through the two main characters, Dale and Shamma, whose differences are not limited to their family origins only, but also include the differences between them and the surrounding society.

The film was able to create an intimate and interactive environment in the neighborhood inhabited by these characters, and the class in this neighborhood is represented in the diminishing opportunities for advancing the societal peace, and the inevitability of staying in the same place. .

Regarding the nomination of his film to represent the Kingdom in the Oscar competition, the director of the film, Abdul Aziz Al-Shallahi, said, "I am happy and proud to represent the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia in the Oscar race for the best international film category. Great films have preceded us and more films will follow, and Saudi cinema will reach the ambition of its makers to the biggest forums."

The story of the film reflects the secrets of the working-class society in the era of the nineties (Saudi Press)

The meaning of the name

Al-Shallahi added that the name of the work “Had Al-Tar” is divided into two parts: Hadd, which is the implementation of the rulings, and Al-tar means the tambourine, as the name reflects the contradiction between the implementation of the rulings and the spirit of joy represented in the tambourine.

He points out that he was inspired by the work's story from an important axis, which is the contradictions that are practiced in many societies in all countries of the world, without thinking about its results and consequences.

The hero of the film hates his world, does not belong to it, and falls in love with a girl who belongs to another society that is more inclined to him, representing freedom and the ideal free spirit, but in the face of the pressures of society and the conflict of traditions, what will he choose and which world will he win?

Participating in the film, actor: Faisal Al-Doukhi as Dale, actress Adwa Fahd as Shama, Muhannad Al-Saleh as Atiq, Samer Al-Khal as Mubarak, Ibrahim Mississippi as Khalil, Rawya Ahmed as Badriya, and Ajiba Al-Dosari as Manwa.

Participation of Had Al-Tar Film in Cairo Film Festival (Saudi Press)

The film has previously participated in many Arab and Western festivals, and won the Special Jury Prize at the Cairo Film Festival where it was shown for the first time, and won the Best Director award at the Swedish Malmö Arab Film Festival, and won the Best Feature Film award at the Saudi Film Festival.

Last year, Saudi Arabia nominated the film "The Lady of the Sea", directed by Shahd Amin, to compete for the Oscar for Best Foreign Film.

This year, most Arab countries have already announced their nominations for the award, including Egypt, which nominated the film "Souad", Tunisia, which nominated "Fartato Al Dahab", Morocco, which nominated "Ali Your Voice", and Jordan, which nominated "Princess".