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Local cinemas are witnessing strong demand for the Jordanian 3D animated film “Saleem”.

Those who saw the film have expressed that the secret of the success of the first feature-length Arab cartoon film shown in Jordanian cinema, in addition to the quality of production, the aesthetics of presentation, sound, and direction, is that “Saleem” tells the human story.

It is common for moviegoers - children and adults - to go to the cinema with the hope of experiencing imaginary stories that take them out of their bitter reality. "Saleem" is a human story that begins with the self-seclusion of a refugee child, saddened by the death of his father, who is subjected to bullying by his school students, and ends with a pleasant surprise, warm therapeutic treatment from his teacher, Amal, and a search for treasure with his loyal friends.

In addition to quality professional production and a wonderful human story, what distinguishes the film “Saleem,” especially for the Arab context, is the familiar images and sound it reflects of life in our society.

The first thing that attracts the viewer to the animated film “Saleem” is the eyes that director Cynthia Madanat Sharaiha and her creative team succeeded in designing. Brown eyes enchant you as a spectator and bring you into a beautiful oriental world that we see every day but transmitting it via the silver screen provides happiness and psychological comfort.

The viewer interacts with the cinematic characters that represent them in form, sound, and backgrounds familiar to him or her, such as houses, gardens with stone barriers, and the nature of our beautiful country.

The film, produced by Shadi Sharaiha and Digitales, also reflects the beautiful diversity presented in an hour-and-a-half animation feature film. We see women and men in shapes and types that reflect the diversity of Jordan country, the diverse, multi-ethnic, multi-cultural, and multi-form mosaic of the country. “Saleem” showcases a pluralistic society that does not discriminate according to skin, social or cultural background, which, with the addition of different global voices, may provide an opportunity to export our culture and heritage to the world.

Although “Saleem” is deeply rooted in terms of text and form in Arab society, moving images provide the aspect of imagination required by moviegoers who want, even for a short time, to enjoy a story, and images that take them out of the daily routine.

Some may think that making a movie a success requires action scenes, constant jokes, and an emotional dramatic story without any social benefit. “Saleem” fulfills many of these requirements, but it also provides purposeful art that includes addressing one of the most difficult human issues, which is the psychological and emotional problems of children and how to treat them.

“Saleem” provides a scientific model based on studies in cooperation with experts, including the Jordanian expatriate doctor, Issam Smeir, a convincing treatment, but in a purposeful artistic manner.

The Jordanian film "Saleem" won the honor of representing Jordan and the Arab world through an invitation to participate in the largest international film festival specializing in animation, the Ansi Festival, in the French city of the same name. It has also won many local, national, and international awards and will win additional awards, but the best award for those who wrote and produced “Saleem” is the honor of its acceptance, and interaction as well as children’s benefit from his social artistic message.