Sharjah Art Foundation

Sharjah Biennial 16

Sharjah, United Arab Emirates
6 Febuary — 15 June 2025

Sounds of the Sea, 2014

Nujoom Al Ghanem
Sounds of the Sea, 2014
Colour, Arabic (English subtitles)
1h 27min
Film still

Synopsis

The head of Umm Al-Quwain Folklore society Humaid Al Shehi works on reviving one of the traditional sea chants that hasn’t been performed properly in decades, because the ritual requires a traditional rowing boat and a big number of choirs. He then involves an iconic mentor who is known as Saif Al Zibadi to lead the choir in spite of his eye impairment. AlZibadi wishes to cross Umm Al-Quwain Creek for the last time in his life on a fishing boat and to sing one of his folklore songs to the fishermen. His closest friend Sultan Bin Ghaffan takes the risk to help AlZibadi accomplish his dream in secret, and make the journey to the other shore of the sea as they used to do when they were young. The film symbolizes the essence of the old age in the face of friendship and long-lost dreams.