For filmmaker Shahrokh Nael, shadow is more than a visual device, it’s a narrative engine. His work draws from one of the oldest artistic traditions: the use of darkness as a way to reveal truth.
In developing his latest body of films, Nael immersed himself in the legacy of 17th century Dutch and Italian masters, particularly Rembrandt and Caravaggio, whose groundbreaking chiaroscuro reshaped the emotional language of imagery.
These painters understood that light is not merely illumination but a form of storytelling. A face emerging from darkness, a gesture caught in a narrow beam such choices transformed drama into something visceral and psychological. Nael’s research traces a direct line from those canvases to contemporary filmmaking, where shadow continues to shape mood, tension, and inner conflict with remarkable precision.
The films showcased here grow out of that lineage. They echo the bold contrasts and quiet mysteries of the Baroque era while pushing those ideas into modern cinematic terrain. In Nael’s hands, shadow becomes a character in its own right the place where atmosphere thickens, truth wavers, and the story takes its deepest breath.
A private presentation was hosted at HOME Cinema in Manchester, featuring six experimental works under the title Dark Skies Anthology a digital sketchbook composed by Nael himself. The program offered an unfiltered look into his creative process, where shifting shadows, digital abstraction, and instinctive image making form a kind of cinematic laboratory.
After the screening, the audience naturally gathered at a nearby café, creating an informal space to socialize and explore their responses to the films. While it was not a structured session, attendees had the opportunity to discuss their interpretations, share impressions, and speak directly with Shahrokh Nael about his work. This casual exchange offered meaningful insight into how the films were received and became a lively extension of the event, reflecting the human engagement at the heart of Nael’s ongoing exploration of shadow and experimental storytelling.
The visuals captured during the event, images of the space, the works, and the audience in discussion are shared here as part of an evolving archive, documenting both the films and the moments of engagement that surround them.
