Whispers: An Eight-Episode Saudi Series to Be Released on Netflix

Whispers: An Eight-Episode Saudi Series to Be Released on Netflix
TT

Whispers: An Eight-Episode Saudi Series to Be Released on Netflix

Whispers: An Eight-Episode Saudi Series to Be Released on Netflix

Hana Abdullah Al-Omair graduated with a master’s degree in translation from Heriot-Watt University in 1996, but her passion for cinema drove her to work as a director and submit her first script to the Saudi Film Festival in 2008, winning the Silver Palm Tree Award. Her second movie, Far From Words, was screened in many festivals, the most prominent of which was the 2009 Gulf Film Festival.

Later on, Omairi directed her first movie, Complaint, which received the Golden Palm Award at the 2015 Saudi Film Festival.

Not one to dwell on her success, Omairi began working on her next project, No Filter, a sitcom that aired on Saudi television through Ramadan last year, shortly afterwards. Her newest and biggest project, the eight-episode series Whispers, was recently acquired by Netflix and will be made available to its 138 million subscribers around the world.

Omairi tells Asharq Al-Awsat that offering viewers a new take on storytelling is the main concept behind the new series. Whispers tells its story from the divergent perspectives of the series’ characters and that each of these perspectives allows the audience to view the events in a different light. She emphasizes the rarity of this approach, which focuses on psychological dimensions, especially in Saudi TV, which has always put social events at the center; the characters’ different perspectives portray the events ambiguously, compelling audiences find answers to mysteries that are gradually uncovered with every episode.

She goes on to say, “writing the series was the hardest part, as navigating through the particular convictions, depth and desires of each character is required. The major challenge was directing; the series took nearly a year to complete. We have been working on the series, which aired during the crisis (coronavirus) but was not related to it, since the beginning of 2019. Having a Saudi crew was special, but it is usually the work that determines the artists needed, and we preferred the series to run for eight episodes.”

Omairi also pointed out that global platforms like Netflix make it possible for the series to reach a very wide audience. This is what distinguishes good television with all of today’s technology and that the most important thing is for works to express their idea in the best way possible, in addition to having an enthusiastic crew that understands the idea”. This, she adds, “was very helpful because the actors were excited about the series and engaged in debates about its details and characters”.
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Netflix announced that Whispers, the first Saudi drama released as part of its Gulf-produced content, will be available starting Thursday, June 11.

Roula Hassan wrote the script of the series, which features many Saudi actors, including Mohamed Ali, Abdul Mohsen Alnimer, Shaimaa Al Fadl, Mysoon Alruwaily, Elham Ali, Leila Arabi, Ali Al-Sharif, Osama Al-Qass, Nada Tawhid, and Norah Alanbar.



What Ignited the Deadly California Wildfires? Investigators Consider an Array of Possibilities

 A helicopter drops water on the Palisades Fire in Mandeville Canyon, Friday, Jan. 10, 2025, in Los Angeles. (AP)
A helicopter drops water on the Palisades Fire in Mandeville Canyon, Friday, Jan. 10, 2025, in Los Angeles. (AP)
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What Ignited the Deadly California Wildfires? Investigators Consider an Array of Possibilities

 A helicopter drops water on the Palisades Fire in Mandeville Canyon, Friday, Jan. 10, 2025, in Los Angeles. (AP)
A helicopter drops water on the Palisades Fire in Mandeville Canyon, Friday, Jan. 10, 2025, in Los Angeles. (AP)

Investigators are considering an array of possible ignition sources for the huge fires that have killed at least 11 people and destroyed thousands of homes and businesses in the Los Angeles area.

In hilly, upscale Pacific Palisades, home to Hollywood stars like Jamie Lee Curtis and Billy Crystal who lost houses in the fire, officials have placed the origin of the wind-whipped blaze behind a home on Piedra Morada Drive, which sits above a densely wooded arroyo.

While lightning is the most common source of fires in the US, according to the National Fire Protection Association, investigators were able to rule that out quickly. There were no reports of lightning in the Palisades area or the terrain around the Eaton Fire, which started in east Los Angeles County and has also destroyed hundreds of homes.

The next two most common causes: fires intentionally set, and those sparked by utility lines.

John Lentini, owner of Scientific Fire Analysis in Florida, who has investigated large fires in California including the Oakland Hills Fire in 1991, said the size and scope of the blaze doesn’t change the approach to finding out what caused it.

“This was once a small fire,” Lentini said. “People will focus on where the fire started, determine the origin and look around the origin and determine the cause.”

So far there has been no official indication of arson in either blaze, and utility lines have not yet been identified as a cause either.

Utilities are required to report to the California Public Utilities Commission when they know of “electric incidents potentially associated with a wildfire,” Terrie Prosper, the commission's communications director, said via email. CPUC staff then investigate to see if there were violations of state law.

The 2017 Thomas Fire, one of the largest fires in state history, was sparked by Southern California Edison power lines that came into contact during high wind, investigators determined. The blaze killed two people and charred more than 440 square miles (1,140 square kilometers).

On Friday, Southern California Edison filed a report with the CPUC related to the Eaton Fire in the hills near Pasadena, an area the utility serves.

Edison said it has not received any suggestions that its equipment was involved in the ignition of that fire, but that it filed the report with state utilities regulators out of “an abundance of caution” after receiving evidence preservation notices from insurance company lawyers.

“Preliminary analysis by SCE of electrical circuit information for the energized transmission lines going through the area for 12 hours prior to the reported start time of the fire shows no interruptions or electrical or operational anomalies until more than one hour after the reported start time of the fire,” the utility reported.

While lightning, arson and utility lines are the most common causes, debris burning and fireworks are also common causes.

But fires are incited by myriad sources, including accidents.

In 2021, a couple's gender reveal stunt started a large fire that torched close to 36 square miles (about 90 square kilometers) of terrain, destroyed five homes and 15 other buildings and claimed the life of a firefighter, Charlie Morton.

The Eaton and Palisades fires were still burning with little containment on Friday. Winds softened, but there was no rain in the forecast as the flames moved through miles of dry landscape.

“It’s going to go out when it runs out of fuel, or when the weather stops,” Lentini said. “They’re not going to put that thing out until it’s ready to go out.”