This year, AFMI is proud to showcase a collection of work by talented Arab directors, writers, producers and actors based in the Bay Area and Los Angeles.
High school dropout Karim El Hadi faces a bleak future. Six years after the Tunisian Revolution and the chants of "work, freedom, national dignity," little has changed in the border town where he lives with his working-class father, Houssem, and kid sister, Lilya. His creativity and passion for design continues to stagnate, his longtime friends still spend their days chasing dreams that don't exist, and after suffering a string of personal tragedies his family has become cold and distant. Everything changes for Karim when he learns of a way out. The plan is risky and could make him a target of the local police and criminal underbelly. But the question before Karim is, what does he have left to lose? As he advances his plan, and as the bonds of friendship and family are tested, he may not like the answer.
Festivals & Awards:
Clermont-Ferrand International Short Film Festival in France 2022
Les Nuits MED Film Festival in Corsica 2022
Arab Film Festival @Arab American Museum in Dearborn, MI 2022
Montecatini International Short Film Festival in Italy 2022
Rabat International Author Film Festival in Morocco 2022
Carthage Film Festival - Horizons of Tunisian Cinema 2022
About the filmmaker:
Born On October 7, 1984 in Sfax, Tunisia, Ihsen Kammoun is a Tunisian-American a producer, director and writer. He holds a Bachelor of Arts in English Literature and Linguistics. In 2009, he sparked a music video production trend in the independent Tunisian music scene. With life travels that allowed him to explore a richness of perspectives of human experiences, he founded the motion picture production company EQLAE PICTURES in 2019. His work is a portrayal of stories that inspire discovering what is beneath differences and encourage people to exercise their humanity.
- Year2021
- Runtime30 minutes
- LanguageArabic, English
- CountryTunisia
- DirectorIhsen Kammoun
- ScreenwriterCharles Hall
- ProducerIhsen Kammoun
- Co-ProducerAnis Kriaa
- CastAhmed Hafiene, Farès Landoulsi, Malek Ben Saad, Ala Edine Yacoubi, Bahri Rahali, Saoussen Maalej
- CinematographerFrida Marzouk
- EditorLaith Majali
- MusicSuad Bushnaq
This year, AFMI is proud to showcase a collection of work by talented Arab directors, writers, producers and actors based in the Bay Area and Los Angeles.
High school dropout Karim El Hadi faces a bleak future. Six years after the Tunisian Revolution and the chants of "work, freedom, national dignity," little has changed in the border town where he lives with his working-class father, Houssem, and kid sister, Lilya. His creativity and passion for design continues to stagnate, his longtime friends still spend their days chasing dreams that don't exist, and after suffering a string of personal tragedies his family has become cold and distant. Everything changes for Karim when he learns of a way out. The plan is risky and could make him a target of the local police and criminal underbelly. But the question before Karim is, what does he have left to lose? As he advances his plan, and as the bonds of friendship and family are tested, he may not like the answer.
Festivals & Awards:
Clermont-Ferrand International Short Film Festival in France 2022
Les Nuits MED Film Festival in Corsica 2022
Arab Film Festival @Arab American Museum in Dearborn, MI 2022
Montecatini International Short Film Festival in Italy 2022
Rabat International Author Film Festival in Morocco 2022
Carthage Film Festival - Horizons of Tunisian Cinema 2022
About the filmmaker:
Born On October 7, 1984 in Sfax, Tunisia, Ihsen Kammoun is a Tunisian-American a producer, director and writer. He holds a Bachelor of Arts in English Literature and Linguistics. In 2009, he sparked a music video production trend in the independent Tunisian music scene. With life travels that allowed him to explore a richness of perspectives of human experiences, he founded the motion picture production company EQLAE PICTURES in 2019. His work is a portrayal of stories that inspire discovering what is beneath differences and encourage people to exercise their humanity.
- Year2021
- Runtime30 minutes
- LanguageArabic, English
- CountryTunisia
- DirectorIhsen Kammoun
- ScreenwriterCharles Hall
- ProducerIhsen Kammoun
- Co-ProducerAnis Kriaa
- CastAhmed Hafiene, Farès Landoulsi, Malek Ben Saad, Ala Edine Yacoubi, Bahri Rahali, Saoussen Maalej
- CinematographerFrida Marzouk
- EditorLaith Majali
- MusicSuad Bushnaq