Had al-Tar Film

The film Had al-Tar (The Tambour of Retribution) is one of the feature films in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, directed by Saudi filmmaker Abdulaziz al-Shlahei. In 2021, it was selected by the Film Commission under the Ministry of Culture to represent the Kingdom in the Oscars competition during the ninety-fourth Academy Awards in Los Angeles in March 2022, in the Best International Feature Film category.

The film was locally nominated based on criteria established by the Saudi committee for the Oscars, chaired by the CEO of the Film Commission, Abdullah Al Ayaf. The committee included director Haifaa al-Mansour, the head of the Saudi Cinema Association, director Hanaa al-Omair, the CEO of the Red Sea International Film Festival, producer Mohammed al-Turki, and the director of the Saudi Film Festival, poet Ahmed al-Mulla.

The film Had al-Tar was first screened at the Cairo International Film Festival, where it won the Special Jury Prize. It was also showcased at the Malmö Arab Film Festival in Sweden in 2022, where it received the Best Director award. Additionally, it was screened in the Kingdom and won the Best Feature Film award at the Saudi Film Festival in 2021.

The film Had al-Tar tells the story of the son of an executioner who falls in love with the daughter of a female singer performing with a folklore music band. The film portrays the societal challenges faced by those working in informal professions and explores the extent of societal acceptance of them.

The film Had al-Tar competed internationally at the Oscars against global films. It went through several selection phases before the announcement of the preliminary and final lists, which are determined by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, the body that grants the Oscars.