RIYADH: When 2025 began, Maan Yeslam Al-Siari could not have imagined that by the end of the year he would make his professional directorial debut at a major international film festival — in his hometown of Jeddah, of all places.

His seven-minute psychodrama, “Wajoom,” created for the Red Sea Film Fund’s 48-Hour Film Challenge, is screening at the Red Sea International Film Festival.

The story of “Wajoom,” untitled at the time, had been living within Al-Siari for two years. The story critiques corporate culture.

“In a white space without features, Malik arrives to undergo a mysterious evaluation whose purpose is kept secret by a single, strict rule: No questions allowed. From a silent lobby to suffocating rooms, he is subjected to a series of psychological tests that shake his certainty and force him to confront his deepest fears,” the film’s logline reads.

Al-Siari, who often writes scripts in English, welcomed the collaboration with local Arabic wordsmith Saeed Binafif.

“When I found out about the 48-Hour Film Challenge, I decided to immediately apply,” Al-Siari told Arab News. “I used Saeed’s number (the writer) because I had it, and I put my second email because I didn’t know his. I added Haitham Sager’s number (the producer) and added my brother’s email there because I didn’t want to waste time asking for their emails.” 

Coincidentally, a while later, Sager asked: “Why don’t we apply for this challenge?” Al-Siari then cheekily confessed: “We already did — I added you both.”

They were accepted and everything took off from there. 

Shooting took place over a Friday and Saturday in July. They worked tirelessly through the scorching summer heat to secure a spot to film at his university library, requiring special permission. 

Sixty percent of the 30-person crew were classmates handpicked by Al-Siari.

“When we finished the film, only five tickets were allowed for the 48-hour challenge screening in September,” Al-Siari said. “So me, the director, the writer, Saeed, producer, Haitham, main actor, Wadee Hulam and my little brother came. My parents watched it separately.”

His 18-year-old brother later told their mother about his sibling’s surprising leadership: “Thirty people were all respecting Maan — they were all listening to him, Mom!’”

When Arab News asked if it was indeed filmed in 48 hours, the answer was an exhausted “Yes.”

Editing took an extra day, Al-Siari said.

Viewers of “Wajoom” at RSIFF will be treated to new music by a Saudi composer who created a soundscape specifically for the screening. 

A COVID-era high school graduate, Al-Siari had originally applied — and was accepted — to study film in Toronto but instead chose engineering at King Abdulaziz University. 

At the time, there seemed to be no future for filmmaking in the Kingdom. Since childhood, his family had been traveling to Dubai every few months to watch films.

After excelling in his first year of engineering with a stellar grade point average, he found his heart yearned to pursue filmmaking full time. He began to recognize a burgeoning film ecosystem thriving right in his own backyard — and at his own university. He transferred. 

Al-Siari graduated just a few months ago with a degree in visual and media production. Now he’s a Red Sea International Film Festival director. 

“This is my dream,” he said.