Zero Distance Film

Zero Distance is a Saudi cinematic film produced in 2018. It falls under the genre of crime and thriller, depicting real-life drama. It won the award for Best Feature Film at the Saudi Film Festival in 2019 and the Best Cinematic Achievement Award at the same year's Alexandria Film Festival.

The events of the film Zero Distance take place in 2004, focusing on the young man, 'Majid', a photographer and owner of a photography studio in downtown the capital, Riyadh, and his friend, 'Lamy', who was imprisoned on terrorism charges.

After Majid escapes from his troubled past, he finds himself amidst strange circumstances. Suddenly, he discovers a medication box for memory disorder treatment bearing his name, although he does not recognize it and has never seen it before. He also finds a picture of a dead body in his apartment, traces left on the floor, a pistol with a missing bullet in his car, and other unexpected occurrences, confirming his diagnosis of Alzheimer's. With the help of his fiancée, 'Abrar', he tries to push aside the idea of illness and then the criminal suspicion surrounding him from all sides, supported by clues and evidence.

The film was produced with the support of Ithra. Its cinematography relied on a slow pace in narrating events, whether in camera movement or the length of shots, as well as the movement and dialogues of the actors, and in visual, sound, and lighting effects, avoiding rapid pacing and performances filled with quick movements and sharp emotional reactions.

The film relied on the technique of nonlinear storytelling, where events unfold from the end to the starting point from which they originated. This nonlinear narrative does not follow a regular logical sequence, but rather the events overlap to create an element of intrigue and suspense for the viewer.

The film was keen to accurately represent the time period in which the events took place in 2004. The camera captured real locations that were prominent during that era, including houses, streets, cars, the girls' school, the police department, and others, retaining their authentic appearance from that time.