Private Project

Face The Music

Yousef, a performing artist, lives a life in the shadow, hiding his disfigured face after a serious accident. Not until he is faced with further hardship, will he confront his fears and step up to the light.

  • Saeed Rashed
    Director
  • Saeed Rashed
    Writer
  • Saeed Rashed
    Producer
  • Gregory Unrau
    Producer
  • Zaid Abu Hamdan
    Producer
  • Ahmad Hasan
    Key Cast
  • Rima Iskandarany
    Key Cast
  • Mohanad Refaat
    Key Cast
  • Yehya Salah
    Key Cast
  • Lana Albeik
    Key Cast
  • Thomas Kochanczyk
    Assistant Director
  • John Haddad
    Director of Photography
  • Waleed Al Madani
    Camera Operator
  • Rashed Al Agroobi
    Composer
  • Hind Al Amin
    Art Director
  • Lana Albeik
    Set Design
  • Khamael Al Nuaimi
    Set Design
  • Mike Goldschmidt
    Editor
  • Jana Jarrar
    Editor
  • Alicia Gonzalez
    Executive Producer
  • Project Type:
    Short
  • Runtime:
    8 minutes
  • Completion Date:
    September 30, 2016
  • Country of Origin:
    United Arab Emirates
  • Country of Filming:
    United Arab Emirates
  • Language:
    Arabic
  • Shooting Format:
    Digital
  • Aspect Ratio:
    16:9
  • Film Color:
    Color
  • First-time Filmmaker:
    Yes
  • Student Project:
    No
  • Zayed University Middle East Film Festival
    Abu Dhabi
    United Arab Emirates
    May 1, 2017
    World Premiere
  • Arab Film Festival Rotterdam
    Rotterdam
    Netherlands
    October 12, 2017
  • International Short Form Film Festival

    Serbia
    September 28, 2017
    International Premiere
Distribution Information
  • Image Nation Abu Dhabi
    Rights: All Rights
Director Biography - Saeed Rashed

Saeed Rashed was born in September 1991, in Abu Dhabi. Acting was the foundation of his passion for filmmaking. While acting, Saeed grew an obsessive interest for the craft of filmmaking and decided to teach himself how to write scripts and draw inspiration from the works of his heroes such as Denis Villeneuve (Enemy), Derek Cianfrance (Blue Valentine) and Lars Von Trier (Dancer in the Dark). A couple of years later he was introduced to Arab Film Studio. Face The Music marks Saeed’s official directorial debut.

Add Director Biography
Director Statement

AFS has given me the opportunity to be the auteur of my first short film ever, which has been a dream come true. I was looking for a message to deliver and wrap up with a story that would wear it perfectly. There lies a big responsibility in expression, and a film is a language I thrive to speak fluently. I sought to find a dark, yet digestible way to discuss self-acceptance, and sometimes there is no better approach than a dramatic one to touch people on a deeper level. Face The Music tells a story about Yousef, a progressive metal musician who struggled to accept himself for all the wrong reasons after losing his face, a mistakenly valuable tool for a performer, to a tragic accident. I attempted to craftily fit the components of Acceptance, Love, Sacrifice, and the Intangible in one context, and I hope I succeeded.