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 production design / art direction. You may wish to comment on choices, challenges or effects.

We needed the right wardrobe, right wig, the right tree, the right apples, the right vintage note book to make it look like Newton’s time. But we also needed the right mobile phone. Since we couldn’t find an apple tree in the right location, with this much space around it, we shot under a place holder tree but we recreated the entire tree to look like an apple tree in post-production. We then recreated each apple falling to take control of the timing and location and bounce. Everything on our set needed to look from an old century, except the social media component. Creating this visual dichotomy and tension between the centuries was at the core of our art direction brief.