''November'' is a 2023 Maldivian film directed by

Ali Shifau Ali Shifau (born 19 May 1977) is a Maldivian film director, cinematographer and editor. One of the most successful filmmakers in Maldivian Cinema, Shifau is the recipient of a number of awards, including seven Gaumee Film Awards, and four Maldiv ...

. Produced by Mohamed Ali under

Dark Rain Entertainment Dark Rain Entertainment is a Maldivian production company based in Male' producing Maldivian films. Established in 2006, the studio has produced the first Maldivian films shot entirely in HD, 3D and on DSLR. History The studio's first feature ...

, the film stars

Mohamed Jumayyil Mohamed Jumayyil Nimal (born 19 April 1989) is a Maldivian actor. He has established a career in Maldives Film Industry and is a recipient of several awards, including two Gaumee Film Awards. Born in Malé, Jumayyil is the son of the renowned Mal ...

and

Mariyam Majudha Mariyam Majudha (born 18 March 1988) is a Maldivian film actress. Career Majudha made her film debut in the Aishath Fuad Thaufeeq-directed '' Hulhudhaan'' as Sama (2014) alongside Roanu Hassan Manik, which was a critical success. The film was la ...

in pivotal roles. The film was released on 4 December 2023. The film marks the first Maldivian film to be featured on the inflight entertainment list of an international airline.

Plot

Yamaan boards a flight to Singapore with the aim of pursuing a degree as a chartered accountant. Seated next to him is Ameera, a Dhivehi linguistics teacher traveling to Singapore for a conference in Australia. When Ameera's connecting flight is canceled, Yamaan invites her to stay at his uncle's house until her travel arrangements are sorted. During their time together, a romantic relationship blossoms. As soon as Ameera's flight is confirmed, they part ways, but not before she leaves a note urging Yamaan to let fate guide their future. Distraught by the sudden end to their relationship, Yamaan finds solace and encouragement from his uncle. In the passing days, Yamaan undergoes a transformation, changing his profession to photography and relocating to the Maldives after completing his studies. During a project trip to Laamu, he unexpectedly reunites with Ameera, who appears noticeably changed from their initial meeting. Yamaan is determined to delve deeper into understanding the dynamic shift in her behavior, seeing a different side of the vibrant girlfriend he once knew.

Cast

as Yamaan *

as Ameera Moosa *

Ismail Wajeeh Ismail Wajeeh (20 September 1962) is a Maldivian actor and choreographer. Early life While studying in primary school, Wajeeh, along with his nephews used to perform songs and stage shows to small gatherings. While studying in grade 4, he was off ...

as Sam * Aishath Yaadha as Zeyba *

Fathimath Latheefa Fathimath Latheefa is a Maldivian film actress. Career Prior to acting, Latheefa appeared in advertisements and small roles in few television drama series distributed by VTV. In 2019, she made her film debut in Ilyas Waheed's psychological thri ...

as Sameena * Ahmed Faiz as Raazi *

Aminath Shuha Aminath Suha Musthafa (born 7 May 1997), commonly known as Aminath Shuha is a Maldivian film actress and former TV presenter. Career Prior to acting, Shuha worked as a show presenter and host in several television programs from Ice TV. For her p ...

as Huma * Hussain Haazim as Naaif * Ali Nadheeh as Hamza * Hoodh Ibrahim as Irufan *

Mariyam Shifa Mariyam Shifa (22 November 1999) is a Maldivian film actress, dancer and social media personality. She has earned over 1.7 million likes on TikTok. Early life Shifa attributed her singing and dancing skills to her parents; her father being a pr ...

as Sana * Mohamed Nazmee as Nazmee * Aminath Silna as Silna *

Aisha Ali Aisha Ali (born 10 May 1997) is a Maldivian film actress. Career In 2018, Ali made her career debut in Amir Saleem-directed social drama television series ''Lam'' opposite Ali Azim which received mixed reviews from critics where Ali's performanc ...

as Hudha * Mohamed Mazin as Hassan *

Aminath Noora Aminath Noora (born 11 February 1986) is a Maldivian actress. Career In 2004, Noora made her screen debut with a video single directed by Mohamed Niyaz and rendered by Fazeela Amir. Titled "Jaadhooga Jeheyney", the song topped several charts and ...

as Farisha * Shahu Shakir as Wirdha Khalid * Ahmed Ijuan as Nadheem * Aminath Shamana as Maleeha * Tareesh Ismail as young Sam * Ahmed Rasheed as Naeem * Aishath Ena Ibrahim as Shaha * Maria Teresa Pagano as an Italian tourist (Special appearance) * Shalabee Ibrahim as boyfriend of Italian tourist (Special appearance) * Moosa Waseem as himself (Special appearance) * Meyna Hassan as himself (Special appearance) * Abdulla Sadiq as himself (Special appearance) *

Aishath Rishmy Aishath Rishmy Rameez (born 15 November 1985) is a Maldivian actress, film producer and director. She has established a career in Maldives Film Industry and is a recipient of several awards, including three Gaumee Film Awards, and two Maldives Fi ...

as herself (Special appearance) * Aminath Waheedha as herself (Special appearance) *

Mohamed Abdul Ghanee Mohamed Abdul Ghanee (born 15 April 1978), commonly known as Theyravaa is a Maldivian singer and songwriter. Early life and career Born to a musical family, Ghanee had no interest in music even when his siblings spend their time in jamming and s ...

as himself (Special appearance)

Development

Following the success of ''

Vakin Loabin ''Vakin Loabin'' is a 2018 Maldivian family drama film directed by Ali Shifau. Co-produced by Mohamed Ali and Aishath Fuad Thaufeeq under Dark Rain Entertainment, the film stars Mohamed Jumayyil and Mariyam Majudha and Nuzuhath Shuaib in pivot ...

'' (2018),

announced the project on 23 June 2018 with lead cast as

and

. In July 2019, reports confirmed that actor Ismail Wajeeh, who during the time was residing in

Singapore Singapore, officially the Republic of Singapore, is an island country and city-state in Southeast Asia. The country's territory comprises one main island, 63 satellite islands and islets, and one outlying islet. It is about one degree ...

, will make a comeback to screen with ''November''. Filming commenced on 1 October 2019 in Male', K. Thulusdhoo and

Laamu Atoll Laamu Atoll (), historically known as Haddhunmathi Atoll (), is an Administrative divisions of the Maldives, administrative division of the Maldives. The administrative capital is Fonadhoo (Laamu Atoll), Fonadhoo Island. It corresponds to the nat ...

. The remaining scenes of the film were shot in

. In November 2019, it was reported that

's son, Tareesh Ismail joins the cast of ''November'' and will feature several prominent faces including Meynaa Hassan, Shalabee Ibrahim, Abdulla Sadiq and Moosa Waseem. Filming was wrapped on 26 January 2020 by shooting a flight sequence to Dh. Kudahuvadhoo.

Soundtrack

The audio of the first single of the film titled "Moosun" which was rendered by

Mariyam Ashfa Mariyam Ashfa (born 25 December 1982) is a Maldivian singer and actress. Career Since a very early age, Ashfa participated in Interschool Singing Competition where she received several accolades for the same. She made her career debut with the so ...

was released on 24 December 2020.

Release and reception

A poster of the film was unveiled on 18 February 2020, announcing the release date as 6 July 2020. However, with the closure of movie theatres due to

COVID-19 pandemic The COVID-19 pandemic (also known as the coronavirus pandemic and COVID pandemic), caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), began with an disease outbreak, outbreak of COVID-19 in Wuhan, China, in December ...

, the project was pushed. The film was later announced to be theatrically released on 4 December 2023. The film garnered mixed reviews from critics. Aminath Luba, writing for ''The Press,'' praised

's performance and commended the incorporation of Maldivian culture into the film. However, she criticized

's dialogues, deeming them "alienated" from the film's theme, and found the screenplay to be predictable. In contrast, Ahmed Nadheem's review was more unfavorable; he expressed the view that the movie is the worst production from

. Nadheem condemned the screenplay, describing it as a failed attempt to integrate a love concept into an unfamiliar tradition. Unhappy with the color grading and music, he remarked that "the film, along with its theme and emotions, was trapped in a dark color palette, while the music and use of multiple songs killed the vibe of the film". ''November'' was dubbed in Russian and was included in the inflight entertainment collection of

Air Astana Air Astana () is an airline and the flag carrier of Kazakhstan. Based in Almaty, the airline was founded by the Government of Kazakhstan's sovereign wealth fund Samruk Kazyna (51%) and BAE Systems (49%) and commenced operations on 15 May 2002. I ...

between January and February 2024, and hence marks the first Maldivian film to be featured on the inflight entertainment list of an international airline.

References

{{Reflist Maldivian drama films Films directed by Ali Shifau Dhivehi-language films Films postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic Films shot in the Maldives