"One of only two Saudi titles in Competition at this year’s Red Sea International Film Festival (RSIFF), Mohammed “Moe” Alatawi’s feature debut Within Sand combines aspects of a road movie with the futuristic landscapes found in the northwest of Saudi Arabia, where it was shot.
It is ultimately a tale of survival for its lead character, a young man named Snam, played by newcomer Ra’ed Alshammari, who is ambushed by thieves in the deserted terrain and left with only a knife to fend for himself.
Within Sand feels like a blockbuster simply because the location where it was filmed, Neom, is breathtaking. Desert dunes mix with tall, sandy rock formations, with the Red Sea never too far away.
It won the jury prize at the second RSIFF on Thursday (December 8)."
