P R E M I S E
Saudi Arabia is undergoing major socio-economic reforms at the moment in the form of the Vision 2030 initiative; an attempt to “eradicate extremist views” as well as to end its dependency on oil, according to Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman. Women have recently been granted many rights they have not had previously such as legally being able to drive. Although this is a positive step forward for the country, the male-guardianship system still exists, where men have absolute authority over the women of their family, and with their consent only, are women allowed to travel and work. While some families do not abide by this social construct, many men do abuse the power legally bestowed upon them, controlling the women of their family’s every move.
M O H A M M E D H A M M A D
W R I T E R / D I R E C T O R / P R O D U C E R / E D I T O R
Mohammed comes from a diverse cultural upbringing. Originally from Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, he grew up in London and Paris which fostered his natural inclination towards the fine arts. Mohammed has a background in painting and music production, however, after being introduced to the world of filmmaking, he realized that he can combine his love for the visual and sonic arts in the form of storytelling.
In 2006, Mohammed began his film and TV production career in Dubai as MTV Arabia’s first VJ. Since then, he has worked with reputable production houses and media outlets in the region such as National Geographic, MBC, and DMI.
After having collaborated with prominent Saudi philanthropist and public figure Ahmad Al Shugairi on several projects, Mohammed naturally shifted his main focus of work to socially-conscious driven content. His most recent works examines topics of social injustice, as well as deconstructing the psychological impact of societal codes of behavior on the human condition.
Mohammed currently resides in NYC and frequents Saudi Arabia on film production commissions.
M O H A M M E D H A M M A D
W R I T E R / D I R E C T O R / P R O D U C E R / E D I T O R
Mohammed comes from a diverse cultural upbringing. Originally from Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, he grew up in London and Paris which fostered his natural inclination towards the fine arts. Mohammed has a background in painting and music production, however, after being introduced to the world of filmmaking, he realized that he can combine his love for the visual and sonic arts in the form of storytelling.
In 2006, Mohammed began his film and TV production career in Dubai as MTV Arabia’s first VJ. Since then, he has worked with reputable production houses and media outlets in the region such as National Geographic, MBC, and DMI.
After having collaborated with prominent Saudi philanthropist and public figure Ahmad Al Shugairi on several projects, Mohammed naturally shifted his main focus of work to socially-conscious driven content. His most recent works examines topics of social injustice, as well as deconstructing the psychological impact of societal codes of behavior on the human condition.
Mohammed currently resides in NYC and frequents Saudi Arabia on film production commissions.
M O H A M M E D H A M M A D
W R I T E R / D I R E C T O R / P R O D U C E R / E D I T O R
Mohammed comes from a diverse cultural upbringing. Originally from Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, he grew up in London and Paris which fostered his natural inclination towards the fine arts. Mohammed has a background in painting and music production, however, after being introduced to the world of filmmaking, he realized that he can combine his love for the visual and sonic arts in the form of storytelling.
In 2006, Mohammed began his film and TV production career in Dubai as MTV Arabia’s first VJ. Since then, he has worked with reputable production houses and media outlets in the region such as National Geographic, MBC, and DMI.
After having collaborated with prominent Saudi philanthropist and public figure Ahmad Al Shugairi on several projects, Mohammed naturally shifted his main focus of work to socially-conscious driven content. His most recent works examines topics of social injustice, as well as deconstructing the psychological impact of societal codes of behavior on the human condition.
Mohammed currently resides in NYC and frequents Saudi Arabia on film production commissions.
M O H A M M E D H A M M A D
W R I T E R / D I R E C T O R / P R O D U C E R / E D I T O R
Mohammed comes from a diverse cultural upbringing. Originally from Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, he grew up in London and Paris which fostered his natural inclination towards the fine arts. Mohammed has a background in painting and music production, however, after being introduced to the world of filmmaking, he realized that he can combine his love for the visual and sonic arts in the form of storytelling.
In 2006, Mohammed began his film and TV production career in Dubai as MTV Arabia’s first VJ. Since then, he has worked with reputable production houses and media outlets in the region such as National Geographic, MBC, and DMI.
After having collaborated with prominent Saudi philanthropist and public figure Ahmad Al Shugairi on several projects, Mohammed naturally shifted his main focus of work to socially-conscious driven content. His most recent works examines topics of social injustice, as well as deconstructing the psychological impact of societal codes of behavior on the human condition.
Mohammed currently resides in NYC and frequents Saudi Arabia on film production commissions.
M O H A M M E D H A M M A D
W R I T E R / D I R E C T O R / P R O D U C E R / E D I T O R
Mohammed comes from a diverse cultural upbringing. Originally from Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, he grew up in London and Paris which fostered his natural inclination towards the fine arts. Mohammed has a background in painting and music production, however, after being introduced to the world of filmmaking, he realized that he can combine his love for the visual and sonic arts in the form of storytelling.
In 2006, Mohammed began his film and TV production career in Dubai as MTV Arabia’s first VJ. Since then, he has worked with reputable production houses and media outlets in the region such as National Geographic, MBC, and DMI.
After having collaborated with prominent Saudi philanthropist and public figure Ahmad Al Shugairi on several projects, Mohammed naturally shifted his main focus of work to socially-conscious driven content. His most recent works examines topics of social injustice, as well as deconstructing the psychological impact of societal codes of behavior on the human condition.
Mohammed currently resides in NYC and frequents Saudi Arabia on film production commissions.
N A R R A T I V E
I knew it was challenging to squeeze in a story that spans approximately 25 years into 6 minutes, so I had to break down the story as simply as possible into the major turning points in Precious’ life. I felt that the backdrop of pre-arranged marriage and how it can easily be a recipe for failure can be broken down simply. We witness her basic freedoms as a child, her teenage urges for intimacy, and the downward spiral after marrying a man who takes away her basic freedoms.
Precious’ character is based on many females who’s story I have heard first hand. Although the events that happen to her in the film may seem exaggerated, they are very much real events that have happened to many women during their marriage.
Although a victim herself, Precious’ character is very much flawed by her naivety, a product of her environment who is not equipped with the tools to make the right decisions for her future.
The narrative is constantly moving forward as Precious is being swept along by the forces of nature beyond her control, the authoritative powers that govern her. The opening scene of the film depicts her as a passenger along for the ride in her husbands car, which symbolically sets the tone as we continue to see her being passed along by the narrative’s external forces as the story progresses.
Precious wants to marry in order to have a happy family so she marries the first person to ask for her hand in marriage. Traditionally, many girls wish to leave their parents’ home to be independent, however, the reality of the matter is that with the male-guardianship system intact, she is only being passed on from one household to the next as a dependent with unequal basic rights of freedom.