FILM TREATMENT

CONCEPT
This is the story of a journalist, Mariam, whose investigations into the disappearance of a female accountant in a multi-national company unravels more than her boss and society are willing to believe. This is also the story of a force or omen in the form of a Bedouin who tries to bring to Mariam a gift that he found left in the desert but is always interrupted by Mariam’s modern engagements. Mariam knows what she is doing is right and despite personal problems sets out to prove that the missing accountant is either overseas or her “dirty” company has buried her somewhere in the desert just outside the city of Dubai – where the Bedouin rides his horses. The thriller, dealing with Mariam’s inability to bear children, and how her life is in danger, reminds us of the power of conviction and the reality that there is more to life than we can ever comprehend. The story seeks to highlight the beauty of the U.A.E., to showcase U.A.E. talent and also support the argument that it is important not to forget the link between the past and the present for this is vital for the future. The story also portrays a female Arab figure as a leader and an inspiration in the quest for truth, justice, peace and harmony in respect of U.A.E. culture.

SCENE BREAKDOWN
SCENE ONE opens with a beautiful view of the rolling dunes of the desert. A BEDOUIN going about his business is attracted to the sound of a baby crying. He follows the crying and finds an infant by herself under a shrub surrounded by nothing but the desert. He picks up the baby and rides away in the direction of the setting sun.

SCENE TWO introduces MARIAM and the beautiful skyline of Dubai. As she drives down, a doctor calls her and gives her bad news that leaves her sad and dejected. Mariam makes her way to Media City where her broadcasting offices are located. On arrival, she finds out that a story she had aired the previous night has generated a lot of problems. After an animated confrontation, her boss orders her to stop pursuing the disappearance of an accountant because her investigations are unearthing questions of corruption, murder and extortion in the powerful multi-national company where the disappeared woman worked. The boss is afraid of being sued and losing all he has worked hard to develop.

SCENE THREE introduces AHMAD, Mariam’s husband. They meet at an open-air restaurant where Mariam informs him that she is still not pregnant. Ahmad is saddened even further when Mariam tells him that the doctors wantsto talk to him. He leaves to go to the toilet to wash his face. After he goes to the toilet, she senses she is being watched and on turning, sees the Bedouin. The Bedouin starts to approach her but when Ahmad comes back to the table, he vanishes. Mariam receives a phone call from someone who claims to have information on the disappeared woman. Mariam leaves quickly to meet this person. Mariam takes a boat across Dubai’s creek and meets KHADIJA, who worked with the missing accountant (SARAH). Khadija reveals that the European company she works for is involved in illegal smuggling that Sarah was investigating. As Mariam leaves the meeting, two European-looking men rush after her but are stopped by the Bedouin who appears suddenly and trips them.

SCENE FOUR has Mariam at her villa with her husband. She is in the kitchen when she hears the sound of a horse neighing. She looks outside and there lying on the lawn is a blue scarf. She goes outside and picks it up and is confused by what she is sensing.

SCENE FIVE has Mariam back in her office still working on her story. Her colleagues, AMEENA and YUSUF provide more damning evidence against the multi-national company where Sarah worked. Later, Khadija pays her a visit but runs away before Mariam can speak to her. The two bad men show up at Mariam’s offices but find she has gone after Khadija. Mariam later receives an envelope with a key to Sarah’s office.

SCENE SIX shows Ahmad debating whether he should go for fertility tests. He is seen entering a fertility clinic.

SCENE SEVEN is the suspenseful night break-in and entry to the multinational company by Mariam and her work colleagues Ameena and Yusuf. There they find evidence as to the company’s dirty deeds. They are however interrupted by the bad men who come to the company with a bound Sarah. After a scuffle, Mariam, her colleagues and Sarah manage to escape.

SCENE EIGHT concludes the film by showing Mariam at home with her husband watching Mariam’s heroic rescue of Sarah on the Dubai TV evening news. As she finds that her husband is infertile and they may never have children, Mariam again hears the neighing of a horse. From her kitchen window, she watches the Bedouin leave a baby for her before riding away. As tears flow down Ahmad’s face, they rush out and embrace the gift from the desert.