By Aleen Anderias
UNIVERSITY CITY, SHARJAH—American University of Sharjah’s Mass Communication and Film student Nourin Zakaria is set to premiere a short film, Solo, at VOX Cinemas in City Centre Al Zahia on May 25.
Interviewed Friday, Zakaria stated that the film is about a college student and former pianist who suffers from PTSD (Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder) after the antagonist, her best friend who she taught piano, sexually assaulted her. She is played in the film by MCM student Noel Ceriani.
The character struggles to heal, and at a university competition five years later is forced to confront the antagonist who is trying to steal her “piano dreams.”
According to Zakaria, the protagonist uses her trauma and passion for piano to strengthen herself and gain justice by winning the piano competition.
“The road to recovery for survivors of sexual assault can be incredibly challenging and draining, but in this movie, the character’s journey wasn’t easy as she had a multitude of setbacks but refused to let go of her passion for piano, which serves as a powerful example of resilience and perseverance,” said Zakaria.
Zakaria added, “It’s important to keep in mind that healing is possible by finding constructive outlets for the pain, such as music or other forms of creative expression to tap into the inner strength and use it to move forward.”
According to Zakaria, who has been making films for five years, this is her biggest project yet and is an “abstract take” on the subject that’s never been done before.
Further information about the premiere will be released soon.
