DUBAI: A rundown of the Feature Narrative Film contenders at this year’s Saudi Film Festival, which runs from April 17-23. 

‘Hobal’ 

Director: Abdulaziz Alshlahei 

Starring: Mila Al-Zahrani, Amal Samie, Ibrahim Al-Hasawi 

The Saudi filmmaker — whose movie “The Tambour of Retribution” was selected as the Kingdom’s entry into the 2022 Oscars and won the Special Jury Prize at the Cairo Film Festival in 2020 — has already grabbed headlines with his latest project, which is the first feature film to be shot in the Saudi megaproject NEOM. It’s set shortly before the outbreak of the Gulf War in 1990, and follows a Bedouin family living a nomadic existence in the desert. The patriarch has forbidden his family from heading into modernized cities — believing them to be dens of sin — but when his granddaughter Rifa contracts measles, her mother defies his rules to try and save her life. The film has already been a hit in Saudi Arabia: according to the Saudi Film Commission it had more than half a million cinema admissions in a little over a month following its release in January. 

‘My Driver and I’ 

Director: Ahd Kamel 

Starring: Roula Dakheelallah, Mishaal Tamer, Mustafa Shehata 

Saudi actress, writer, director and producer Kamel’s entry is a coming-of-age story set in her hometown of Jeddah in the Eighties and Nineties. It centers on the relationship between a free-spirited girl, Salma, and her family’s chauffeur, a Sudanese man named Gamar, who quickly becomes her confidant and something of a father figure to Salma, whose real dad is a businessman who shows more interest in his work than he does in his daughter. But as Salma grows up, their relationship becomes strained, as Salma feels that Gamar has overstepped his boundaries in his attempts to alter her behavior and protect her reputation.  

‘Songs of Adam’ 

Director: Oday Rasheed 

Starring: Azzam Ahmed Ali, Abdul Jabber Hassan, Alaa Najm  

The Baghdad-born Arab American director blends drama and magical realism in this tale of two brothers — Adam and Ali — that begins in the 1940s. Having been told by their father to witness their grandfather’s corpse being washed before burial, Adam, then aged 12, announces that he has decided not to grow up. And as the years pass, he doesn’t. The villagers, including Ali, believe he has been cursed. Only Adam’s best friend Anki and his cousin Iman — who wasn’t allowed to witness the ritual as a child because she is a girl — see Adam’s condition as an innocence-preserving gift.  

‘Holes’ 

Director: Abdulmohsen Aldhabaan 

Starring: Mariam Abdulrahman, Meshal Almutairi 

Saudi writer-director Aldhabaan’s latest feature is a psychological thriller that centers on Rakan and his wife Rim, who are desperate to find their own place so that they no longer have to live with Rakan’s mother. The only issue with their supposed new home is that someone has hammered a hole into one of its walls. After the married couple have moved in, Rakan becomes increasingly distant from Rim. Through flashbacks, we begin to learn why his mood has changed, and when his mother is attacked by burglars in her house, Rakan is confronted by an unwelcome reminder of his past.  

‘Fakhr Al-Suwaidi’ 

Directors: Hisham Fathyn, Abdullah Bamajboor, Osama Salih 

Starring: Fahad Al-Mutairi, Faisal Al-Ahmari, Saeed Al-Qahtani 

Shaheen is the idealistic principal of Al-Suwaidi High School, who is searching for a way to connect with some of his students whom he believes are in danger of going astray; three students in particular: Ziyad, whose family have recently returned from America and who is feeling stifled by their expectations of him; Mazen, a restless boy prone to violent outbursts; and Saeed, who is struggling to stay on the straight and narrow and redeem his reputation as a troublemaker. Shaheen starts a sharia class, and finds himself bonding with the students, but his younger brother Moeen is unhappy about the project, which he views as a waste of the school’s overstretched budget. 

‘Session Adjourned’ 

Director: Mohammad S. S. Almujaibel 

Starring: Hind Al-Balushi, Abdullah Al-Jiran, Abdullah Al-Turkmani 

This thriller marks the return of Kuwaiti star Al-Balushi to the silver screen after nearly seven years of not starring in movies. According to a synopsis on the Ithra website, it centers around a series of crimes apparently carried out in revenge for the murder of a young boy called Fahd. At each crime scene, the only clue found is a necklace in the shape of a scorpion. The most obvious suspect would be Fahd’s father — Younis Abdul Rahman. But he committed suicide over a year before the crimes began.

LONDON: “Atomfall” is a game that defies easy categorization. Set in a post-apocalyptic version of the English Lake District, this curious hybrid feels like “Fallout” wandered into a “Stalker” fever dream while binge-watching “The Wicker Man,” with just a touch of Austin Powers’ absurdity thrown in for good measure.

It’s a love letter to Britain’s eerie countryside, retro paranoia and weird tea-fueled resilience — and somehow, it works.

You start as a nameless survivor with no real background, no memory, and no clear purpose beyond “get out.” A short newsreel hints at some nuclear disaster, but from there, it’s up to you to piece things together through exploration and investigation. There’s no hand-holding here, but there are helpful instructions to get you going. The narrative is loose, but intriguingly so — it’s more about what you discover than what you’re told.

The open world is split into main landscape regions, each with its own aesthetic and mood. The Lake District setting is surprisingly atmospheric, with moody hills, foggy forests, and crumbling 1950s architecture.

Despite its muted palette, Atomfall encourages players to explore every inch — scavenging for materials, unlocking secrets, and finding absurd British cultural relics. Limited ammo and classic crafting mechanics add a layer of survival challenge, making every encounter feel like it matters.

Gameplay offers distinct playstyles — combat, survival, and exploration.

You can go in guns blazing, sneak around enemies, or scrounge for supplies and tea (yes, tea restores health). Combat is functional, though not always tight. Shooting and melee work well enough, but enemy AI is hit-or-miss. Sometimes they’ll charge you recklessly; other times they just stand there wondering what planet they’re on. Melee is especially satisfying, though clunky in tight spaces. Likewise, while outlaws, druids, mutants and soldiers are all nominally different challenges they are much of a muchness in terms of dealing with them.

“Atomfall” doesn’t shy away from the odd. Its dark humor and sheer Britishness give it a special charm, but the heavy use of local slang and regional accents may confuse non-UK players. Picture “Clockwork Orange” meets “Hot Fuzz” and you’re halfway there. Still, it’s part of the game’s identity — this is a very specific apocalypse, where people ask you to fetch delivery parcels and fix a fence while the world burns around them.

There is a basic but useful skill tree that lets you tailor your approach, from combat proficiency to crafting perks. Quests are often simple (“bring X to Y”), but branching conversations and trackable leads give them some depth. Your choices in dialogue can impact outcomes — sometimes subtly, sometimes with unexpected consequences.

Enemy respawns after death are a mixed blessing. On one hand, it keeps the world dangerous. On the other, it can feel like busywork when you’re simply trying to pass through.

“Atomfall” is weird, scrappy, and full of character. It doesn’t have the polish of a AAA giant, but it doesn’t try to. Instead, it offers a delightfully odd, open-ended experience that rewards curiosity and embraces chaos. For those willing to roll with its eccentricities, “Atomfall” is a radioactive romp worth taking.