Songs of Adam

In post-war Mesopotamia, 12-year-old Adam's refusal to grow up halts his aging, compelling his loved ones to confront the unforgiving passage of time and a world that moves on without him.

Director:
Oday Rasheed

Genre:
Drama

Year:
2024

Duration:
98 minutes

Rating:
13+

Country:
Iraq, Netherlands, Saudi Arabia, USA

Language:
Arabic

Subtitling:
English، Sign Language

Screenplay: Oday Rasheed

Cast: Azzam Ahmed, Alaa Najm, Abdul Jabbar Hassan, Tahseen Dahis, Hoda Shaheen, Ali Al-Karkhi

Cinematography: Basim Faihad

Editing: Muhannad Rasheed

Production: Majed Rasheed, Ally Tubis, Oday Rasheed

Awards: Yusr Best Screenplay Award -- Red Sea International Film Festival -- KSA -- 2024 | Golden Palm Award for Best Feature Film -- Saudi Film Festival -- KSA -- 2025 | Best Foreign Film Award -- Arizona International Film Festival -- Arizona, USA -- 2025

Début Status: Jordanian Première

Film Eligibility: Azzam Ahmed is a first-time lead actor | Oday Rasheed is a first-time director

Synopsis

In 1946 Mesopotamia, twelve-year-old Adam is shaken after being made to witness a burial rite from which his beloved cousin Iman is excluded. In the wake of this moment, Adam declares he no longer wishes to grow up -- and, inexplicably, he doesn't. As the years go by, his untouched youth unsettles the villagers and divides those closest to him. While some see his condition as unnatural, others view it as a quiet rebellion against the loss of innocence. Songs of Adam explores memory, gender, and transformation through the eyes of a boy who remains still as the world moves on.

Director’s biography

Oday Rasheed is an Iraqi-American writer and director. In 2003, he filmed his debut feature Underexposure, the first film shot in Iraq after the U.S. invasion. It premiered at the International Film Festival Rotterdam and won several awards, including Best Film at the Singapore International Film Festival. His second feature, Qarantina (2009), received the Jury Prize at the Oran Film Festival. Rasheed immigrated to the U.S. in 2012 and later directed his first English-language film, If You See Something, which premiered at the 2024 Woodstock International Film Festival. His most recent film, Songs of Adam, won Best Screenplay at the 2024 Red Sea Competition.