Shadow of Silence Film

Shadows of Silence (Dhilal al sammt) is a Saudi narrative film produced in 2006. It is categorized under realistic drama films and is considered the first long Saudi narrative film. It was showcased in several festivals and international cinemas and was nominated in the final competition of the Rome Film Festival in 2007, among fifteen films competing for the festival awards. At that time, it was the only nominated Arabic film.

The film director, Abdullah al-Muheisen, was honored at the first edition of the Saudi Film Festival in 2008 for his overall cinematic contributions, pioneering beginnings, and ongoing efforts under all the surrounding circumstances of his experience. A short film about his life was shown, and he was awarded the Palme d'Or. Al-Muheisen is considered a pioneer among the leaders of Saudi cinema and has been dubbed 'the founder of Saudi cinema'.

The film Shadows of Silence narrates the story of the Arab reality and the tragedies and failures it carries through an allegory. The film artistically reflects on this reality and explains the issues and causes that led to the current state of the Arab world.

Through this film, al-Muheisen managed to pave the way for Saudi cinema. From the outset, director Abdullah al-Muheisen intended for Shadows of Silence to be a film of importance and a message to the entire Arab world. On an intellectual level, the involvement of a group of Arab artists contributed to this. The film was notably well-received by both Saudi and Arab viewers.

The film was produced under challenging circumstances, as mentioned by director al-Muheisen, and its production took several years. It was showcased in Cannes, France, in 2006. In addition, it was screened at the end of May of the same year at the sixth Rotterdam Arab Film Festival, Netherlands. It was also presented at the Arab Film Festival in 2007 in the Japanese capital, Tokyo.

The film was written by Mohammad Reda and directed by Abdullah al-Muheisen. The leading roles were performed by artists from the Kingdom and other Arab countries. From the Kingdom: Abdulmohsen al-Nemr and Nayef Khalaf; from Kuwait: Mohammad al-Mansour; from Syria: Ghassan Massoud, Muna Wassef, Farah Bseiso, Raja Farhat; and from Lebanon: Ihsan Sadiq.