Films 2019

Sayidat Al Bahr

by Shahad Ameen / UAE, Iraq, Saudi Arabia 2019 / 74' / In competition

Cast and Cretits

Original Title / Saydat Al Bahr

English Title / Scales

Director / Shahad Ameen

Screenplay /Shahad Ameen

Cinematography / João Ribeiro, AIP

Editing / Shahnaz Dulaimy, Ewa Johansson-Lind, Ali Salloum

Music / Mike e Fabien Kourtzer

Sound / Laurent Chassaigne

Art Direction / Martin Sullivan

Costume Design / Hamada Atallah

Cast / Basima Hajjar, Ashraf Barhoum, Yagoub Alfarhan

Production / Ben Ross – Image Nation Abu Dhabi FZ LLC; Paul Miller, Stephen Strachan – Film Solution; Rula Nasser – The Imaginarium Films

Executive Production / Mohamed Al-daradji – Iraqi Independent Film Center

World Sales / Cinetic (North America), AGC (Rest of the world)

Press Attaché / Premiere Comms – Jonathan Rutter, Elizabeth Taylor

Format / B&W

Runtime / 74 min.

Synospis

Set in a dystopian landscape, Scales is the story of a young strong-willed girl, Hayat, who lives in a poor fishing village governed by a dark tradition in which every family must give one daughter to the sea creatures who inhabit the waters nearby. In turn the sea creatures are hunted by the men of the village. Saved from this fate by her father, Hayat is considered a curse on the village and grows up an outcast. Nevertheless, she does not surrender to this fate and fights for a place within her village. After her mother gives birth to a baby boy, Hayat must accept the brutal custom of giving herself to the sea creatures or finding a way to escape.

Shahad Ameen

Shahad AmeenShahad Ameen (1988), was born and raised in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. She obtained a Bachelor’s Degree in Video Production and Film Studies from the University of West London, and she also holds a degree in Screenwriting. Her short films include Our Own Musical, Leila’s Window (2011), and Eye & Mermaid (2013), this latter presented at the film festivals in Dubai, Toronto, and Stockholm. Scales is her first feature film.