2022 Winners & Shortlists

Write a short summary of what happens in the film

Imagine if social media existed during the most important times of Newton’s career. When he discovered gravity. Would he have been able to focus? To create without being bullied or compared? Would he have been able to lead with confidence? Would we have advanced as humans the way we did? The film shows Newton, completely missing the apple falling with gravity, because he received a notification that caught his attention. He comically even bites the apple while he is going through his social channel. This film is part of a series of 3 films, each portraying 3 historical geniuses: Leonardo, Mozart and Newton.

Cultural / Context information for the jury

Social media can become a real addiction that can shut anyone’s potential down. Excessive use of social media can have very negative repercussions, such as low self-esteem and distraction, among other things. And Saudi Arabia uses social media excessively, to say the least. It ranks among the top countries in digital and social media consumption. Ithra, a Saudi-based cultural centre recognised how important it is to unlock the potential of each and every Saudi for a better tomorrow. It was time for Saudis to impact the world and Ithra wanted to remove any blocks or obstacles that were limiting their potential. So, it created a Digital Wellbeing Program - Called “Sync” - to overcome digital addiction.

Tell the jury anything relevant about the direction. Do not name the director.

The direction depended majorly on: 1) Recognizing the genius and the historical moment instantly. We achieved that by making sure that Newton was sitting under an apple tree, that apples were falling all around him. We dramatized with slow motion and freeze the falling of apples and the sound effects they made. 2) Injecting a social media element seamlessly into a vintage story. We achieved that by simply interrupting his moment with the sound effect of a notification. 3) Capturing the tension and change social media added. This was achieved with the cast’s expressions and also with the change in film treatment. The film that was going in a crescendo, building to the moment of genius, suddenly unfroze and became almost comical and nonchalant.