The sci-fi thriller "Slave" had its world debut this week at the Red Sea International Film Festival 2022, and its executive producer and director Mansour Assad provided an inside look at the making of the movie.
Ziyad Alamri, Khairiah Abulaban, and Mohammed Ali make up the film's primary cast. The movie depicts the tale of a man named Sakker and his wife, Latifa, who produced a movie that sparked societal outrage and criticism. Thereafter, Sakker was given the choice to either go back in time to placate his community or carry on living his life as he had been, with society furious at him and his wife. In an attempt to live up to his community's standards, Sakker chooses to go back in time. However, he ends up trapped in an eternal cycle and is forced to live by the expectations of others.
Mansour Assad, executive producer and director of ‘Slave.’
The director noted that each scenario was meticulously staged and required extensive training to guarantee the conditions were realistic. Assad called attention to a moment in the movie that happened at a hospital in which one of the characters was receiving treatment. In order to get insight into mannerisms, treatment, and the patient's condition before shooting the sequence, the filmmaker enlisted the help of a physician who specialized in the patient's illness.
The Riyadh-based production was shot between October 2021 and August 2022. “I began the film without any support and we filmed in three phases, each phase we would finish and edit the film and then go acquire funding by showing the producer or fenders what we completed,” he added. The director advises aspiring filmmakers to start their projects on their own without waiting for official financing or backing. “Make your first film and make it with the lowest budget you possibly can, you'll gain experience, and people won't judge your mistakes, everyone wins.”
The filmmaker said he is eager to hear feedback from spectators and critics and doesn't require flattery, only genuine, unvarnished criticism—no matter how brutal. Since he stands to gain from this, he doesn't become annoyed, and is interested in all of their opinions and views.
