2020/2021 Winners & Shortlists

Write a short summary of what happens in the film

It’s 1985. A warm summer afternoon in Hawkins, Indiana. Dustin and the gang from Stranger Things are all on a hilltop. Dustin is trying to contact his new girlfriend, Suzie, in Utah, using his new all-powerful ham radio. He doesn’t reach her, but his garbled message is picked up by three friends who are chilling outside a late night sandwich shop. In Saudi. At first, they can’t figure out where the strange sound is coming from. But when they realise it’s coming from the silver filling in one guy’s mouth, things get fun.

Cultural / Context information for the jury

Most commercials that air in Saudi present a picture perfect version of Saudis, that tend to misrepresent real people. For this film, we wanted to be super authentic in portraying the relationship between the friends, while staying true to Saudi culture, humour and the time period. Contrary to popular belief, Saudi in the 80’s was heavily influenced by Western culture and fashion. And Stranger Things gave us the perfect opportunity to bring out that nostalgia.