Sami Yusuf releases music score for 1001 Inventions film

Film soundtrack produced in partnership with 1001 Inventions to ‘shine’ light on harmony and cohesion

London, 20 December 2015: Sami Yusuf, the internationally acclaimed British singer, songwriter and composer, and award-winning producer Ahmed Salim announced today the release of the original motion picture soundtrack for the short film ‘1001 Inventions and the World of Ibn Al-Haytham’.

The music album composed by Sami Yusuf and released by Andante Studios features the song ‘Shine’ and ends with a special tribute track to the late actor Omar Sharif who delivers his final lead performance in the short film.

A music video for ‘Shine’ was also released based on footage from the short film.

The album supports a global Ibn al-Haytham awareness campaign launched by British organisation 1001 Inventions in partnership with UNESCO that is part of United Nations proclaimed ‘International Year of Light and Light-Based Technologies’ (IYL2015).

Al Hasan Ibn al-Haytham was an 11th century polymath from Basra (in modern-day Iraq), who is often referred to as the ‘father of modern optics’. He spent much of his life in Egypt, including a decade under house arrest, which was where he wrote his most celebrated work, Kitab al-Manazir (The Book of Optics). He used what is now commonly referred to as a Camera Obscura to demonstrate and verify his ideas. He made significant advancements in optics, mathematics and astronomy, and helped lay the foundations of the scientific experimental method.

Sami Yusuf said:

I am delighted to release my first music score for a film that has a fascinating and important inspirational story. Ibn al-Haytham was a man of knowledge who rose up to the challenges of his society and made positive contributions on our lives today. We benefit from his legacy today and I hope this album will help honour over one thousand years of intellectual tradition from Muslim Civilisation that promoted intercultural dialogue and mutual respect.”

Ahmed Salim, Producer and Director of 1001 Inventions said:Directed by Ahmed Salim, the partly animated film storyline is intertwined with a live-action backstory starring Omar Sharif, who guides in the quest of discovering Ibn al-Haytham’s journey to understand the principles of light and optical theories. The film that had its world premiere earlier this month at the Dubai International Film Festival stars Macey Chipping with voice over by Khalid Abdalla. The trailer can be watched on www.IbnAlhaytham.com.

am delighted that Sami Yusuf has delivered such a major commitment to join the global efforts honouring the legacy of Ibn al-Haytham. Sami has created a masterpiece composition that is beautiful, powerful, emotional, and meaningful. The album, film, children’s book and other 1001 Inventions productions aim to inspire, educate, and connect people on a global scale, engaging the hearts and minds, promoting harmony and social cohesion.”

National Geographic also partnered with 1001 Inventions to publish the children’s book ‘Ibn al-Haytham: The Man Who Discovered How We See’. Pre-orders of the book are available on Amazon.com.

The album that includes 10 tracks features the new song ‘Shine‘ performed by Sami Yusuf and a special version of the track ‘The Golden Ages’ featuring the voice of legendary late actor Omar Sharif.

The album can be downloaded on iTunes: https://itunes.apple.com/gb/album/1001-inventions-world-ibn/id1069386095

About Sami Yusuf

Sami Yusuf is a composer, arranger, producer and instrumentalist with over 34 million albums sold to date. His lyrics are a clear expression of his yearning for peace and harmony with rhythms inspired by global traditions, and melodies spun from all lived truths.

With the Guardian recognizing him as the biggest British star in the middle-east, and the United Nations appointing him as both the World’s Global Ambassador Against Hunger and the promoter of World peace and harmony, Sami Yusuf is by no means your typical British celebrity.

The transcendent message of traditional music, and the sense of the sacred sit at the core of his passions. Sami vehemently believes that all the world’s traditions are expressions of the same ultimate truth. Music for him is an expression of Divine love and the love of all the great traditions. These pure beliefs shine through in his singing, composition, and the arrangement and performance of vocals where he prefers the use of traditional instruments to more modern ones.

www.samiyusufofficial.com

About 1001 Inventions

1001 Inventions is an award-winning, British based organisation that creates international educational campaigns and engaging transmedia productions aiming to raise awareness of the contributions to science, technology and culture from the Golden Age of Muslim Civilisation.

Over the last five years, 1001 Inventions has engaged with over 250 million people across the globe. The organisation works with a network of international partners, including UNESCO, and leading academics to produce interactive exhibits, short films, live shows, books and classroom learning materials that are being used by hundreds of thousands of educators around the world. 1001 Inventions is a founding partner of the United Nation’s proclaimed International Year of Light 2015.

www.1001inventions.com

About International Year of Light and Light-Based Technologies

The International Year of Light and Light-Based Technologies (IYL 2015) is a global initiative adopted by the United Nations (A/RES/68/221) to raise awareness of how optical technologies promote sustainable development and provide solutions to worldwide challenges in energy, education, agriculture, communications and health. With UNESCO as lead agency, IYL 2015 programs promote improved public and political understanding of the central role of light in the modern world while also celebrating noteworthy anniversaries in 2015—from the first studies of optics 1,000 years ago to discoveries in optical communications that power the Internet today.

www.light2015.org