ZENOFAR FATHIMA EXPLORES A FRESH TAKE ON ESCAPE ROOM FILMS WITH YOUTUBE EXCLUSIVE SERIES “NO WAY OUT”

Following the international success of the award-winning meta-spiritual musical and short film Ayah, in association with Firdaus Studio by A.R. Rahman, Dubai based film director and producer, Zenofar Fathima is now returning to her horror-cum-thriller origins with her YouTube exclusive horror series, No Way Out. 

The series, which initially started out as a short film collaboration between Dubai based boutique production company Zen Film Productions and renowned escape room brand Horror Rooms by No Way Out Dubai, sees a group of individuals visit an escape room for an alleged casting call for a horror film. As they learn about the conditions of the audition, they begin to suspect that larger forces are at play. The short, which is available for viewing on Zen Film Productions’ official YouTube channel House of Zen, reached unprecedented level of popularity online and continues to reach international audiences online. “Initially, we saw No Way Out as a fun little video collaboration with the region’s most famous escape room franchise,” said Fathima. “However, upon seeing how quickly it was picking up and how well it performed online, we decided to extend the narrative to become a series of episodes”. 

As with all Fathima’s projects, No Way Out not only promises an exhilarating, edge-of-the-seat experience, but also a poignant social message to audiences. “The most exciting element about the sequel to No Way Out, is that it puts a spin on typical escape room films,” said the short film aficionado. “Whilst most audiences might simply expect a few spooks and scares, the reality is that the plot of No Way Out is actually founded upon a very significant social message which is seamlessly integrated within the narrative.” Fathima has produced and directed over 20 short films during her career spanning five years, aptly tackling social issues such as cyber extortion, depression, and even domestic violence in her works. 

The cast of No Way Out features notable personalities and influencers of the UAE, who play the group of oblivious casting call auditionees. “Though this group of people are different in more ways than one, and only manage to cross paths during this one-off casting call, they also are set to embark on an unpredictable adventure that will bond them together for life, kind of like The Famous Five,” explained Fathima. Among those include Fathima herself, UAE lifestyle and fashion influencer Muhammad Junaid a.k.a. Ganook King, award winning emcee and celebrity host Joe Mohan a.k.a. VoiceGuyJoe, and budding teen actor and model Chitraang Chauhan. 

Apart from the horror-thriller series, Fathima is also working on her first feature film Beyond the Limit, a coming-of-age sports drama that will explore the fall and rise of a budding athlete, as well as his eventual perseverance against the many adversities of life. Beyond the Limit is currently in its pre-production phase, with the film slated to release in early 2023. The film is currently in talks to be distributed internationally.

No Way Out- Episode 2 is currently in pre-production and is set to release this December on Zen Film Productions’ House of Zen YouTube channel.