Saudi cinemas are preparing to show the horror and thriller film “Cello”, scheduled to be shown on Thursday, September 14, with international participation by stars from America, England, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia and Syria, and inspired by the first novel issued in 2021 by the head of the Saudi Entertainment Authority, Turki Al-Sheikh, which… It has the same title.
The events of the film take place in a context of mystery and horror, when Nasser, a cellist, plays an abnormal piece of music that turns his quiet life upside down and threatens his life and the life of his family, during which the aspiring player learns that the cost of his cello is more sinister than he thought.
The film “Cello” is directed by Darren Lynn Bousman, written by Turki Al-Sheikh, starring Jeremy Irons, Tobin Bell, and Samer Ismail, with the participation of Baraa Alam, Mila Al-Zahrani, Muhannad Al-Hamdi, and Ilham Ali. It was filmed in several locations in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and in Prague in the Czech Republic, and it was produced by Lee. Nelson from “Envision Media Arts” and produced by Sultan Al-Muhaisen and Nico Roccoso for Al-Alamiah, and David Tisch (The Ice Road, Mr. Church) for “Envision Media Arts.” The film was financed by the Saudi company Rozam Media.
In an interview with Asharq Al-Awsat, actor Baraa Alam, who participated in the film as Hamza, who appears in several scenes as a supporting character whom the film’s heroes meet to learn the story of the cello, said: “I am happy to participate in a film in which international stars participate for the first time in Saudi cinema.” The hero of the film Cello is the international Oscar-winning English artist Jeremy Irons, and the film’s director is Darren Lynn Bousman, who directed the horror film series (SAW).”
Alam believes that the experience with the crew of the film “Cello” is beneficial locally at all levels, and he added: “Working with international talents gave us a clearer view of how things are done in the number one industry in the world of Hollywood, and we obtained many lessons while working with them, which… Making the results more professional and closer to the global standard than we are.”
Alam, who filmed scenes for the character of Hamza between Riyadh, Dharma and Al-Ula, revealed that the director used a specific visual technique in the scenes he performed, and is excitedly anticipating seeing the scene in its final form during the screening of the film.
On Saturday, August 9, a special screening of the film “Cello” was held on “Riyadh City Boulevard,” in the presence of the film’s stars and heroes, including Samer Ismail, Souad Al-Abdullah, Muhannad Al-Hamdi, Baraa Alam, Elham Ali, and director Darren Lee Bousman.
It should be noted that Advisor Turki Al-Sheikh mentioned in his previous tweet on the “X” platform that preparing for the film “Cello” took two years of writing, communications, and diving into the world of cinema, while its filming took 8 weeks, and that 70 percent of the film was filmed in Saudi Arabia between… Riyadh, Darma and Al-Ula, and 30 percent in Europe by a Saudi national company. More than 200 Saudis worked on this film, trained to assist in filming and learning at the hands of the greatest directors and photography directors in makeup, clothing and decoration. The film will be dubbed into 7 languages and will be shown in cinemas around the world. And a number of platforms.
