The Dubai screening of “A Tribute” directed by Hana El Sadek and co-produced by Zeina Madwar, Founder of niche jewellery brand ZM Collections, dazzled the audience through a mixed media exhibition and poetic installation. A picture is worth a thousand words — ‘A Tribute’ exemplified it by transporting the audience to a different dimension through a barrage of visuals that were cathartic, evocative, and deeply visceral.
March 20th, Dubai, UAE: Theatrical film “A Tribute”, a collaborative work of filmmaker Hana El Sadek and jewellery designer Zeina Madwar, took the audience on a visual journey during its screening by exploring human character quirks and embodying them through expressive ornaments.
“It was — true to its name — a tribute to existence and peculiarities that make us human and to which nobody is an exception. So, by and large, it is simply a tribute to being human,” explained Co-producer Zeina Madwar, who is also the Founder of ZM Collections, a Dubai-based brand specializing in jewellery inspired by natural elements, emotions, and cultures.
“A Tribute” is the work of creators cut across geographical and cultural lines and collated in Sharjah, UAE. The theatrical film characterizes Director and Producer Hana El Sadek’s signature style of emotional resonance and lyricism. It features dancers Alesia Nest and Sara Tošić adorned with ZM Collections’ artsy jewellery and entwined in a duet, prancing to the soothing score by composer Hassan El Sadek. Together, the dancers articulate a choreography that expresses the dualities, polarities, and contrasts of humans in the film while donning jewellery that amplifies their character strengths.
“Creative expression of deep-seated feelings such as love, longing, and existentialism is a challenging-yet-gratifying endeavour. In ‘A Tribute’, we explored these feelings against the raw backdrop of metaphysical elements. In its own right, it is a pathbreaking film in Dubai, where performance and visual arts are garnering a new generation of aficionados,” opined Hana El Sadek, who is known for her ability to create captivating films with deeply emotional undercurrents.
True to Hana’s style, “A Tribute” captured the beauty of human interactions in the absence of inhibitions. The exhibition demonstrated an installation of ink on the fabric of a poem written by Hana El Sadek and a sculpture of plaster and fabric by Zeina Madwar, both amplifying the experience and heightening the film’s impact on the audience.
While reinforcing the power of human touch through sensual movements, the film upheld our primal ways with its sombre settings and minimalism. Using her styling acumen and ZM Collections’ exquisite pieces — including quirky collars, edgy earcuffs, and bohemian body chains — Zeina Madwar not only completed the narrative but also complemented it spectacularly.
About ZM Collections
ZM Collections is a craft where art meets design. Inspired by our exploration of land, sea, and people; our unique pieces amplify the beauty of all things in their rawest form. Driven by curiosity, ZM Collections is more than just a brand, it’s a way of being. We find beauty in the little things and elegance in imperfection.
About Hana El Sadek
Hana El Sadek is a multi disciplinary artist, photographer and filmmaker. Her visual style and lyrical stories have their unique persona. She is known for her ability to create captivating and emotionally resonant films and rarely captured experiences of oversaturated, intense feelings and imperfect relationships.