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 about the casting process.

Casting a Newton was not easy. We needed someone that could act like he was intense and genuinely thinking to shifting to someone that was carefree and almost an airhead. We needed someone that could act like a genius and a teenage girl. That is the thin line between fiction and non-fiction that exists in our film. So, we studied what Newton would look like and we had our casting brief: we needed someone that could get caught in the moment and whose eyes would light up with a spark of an idea.