A selection of short films from Middle Eastern filmmakers who have made their work all over the world – the UAE, Jordan, Iran – as well as in the US. They tell deeply meaningful stories of reconnection, generational strife, the horrors of war, and the human impact of the pandemic. The block includes the Tribeca award-winning short Layak, by co-directors Scott Aharoni and Dennis Latos.

Two Arab-American childhood friends reunite at thirty, after one of them unearths a marriage pact that they had made as teenagers and decides to check on its validity.

When We Were Pirates

Two Arab-American childhood friends reunite at thirty, after one of them unearths a marriage pact that they had made as teenagers and decides to check on its validity.

A first generation Armenian American LGBTQ+ 30 year old woman living in LA faces the repercussions of coming out to her Armenian mother after a night with her girlfriend.

Hello Mother

A first generation Armenian American LGBTQ+ 30 year old woman living in LA faces the repercussions of coming out to her Armenian mother after a night with her girlfriend.

In a southern region of Iran, a girl has been lost. her brother and her sister in law are looking for her, but there is a mystery behind this.

Incurable

In a southern region of Iran, a girl has been lost. her brother and her sister in law are looking for her, but there is a mystery behind this.

A young, deaf Arab girl, born in the ravages of a war zone, whose only weapons are her hearing aids and an old video camera.

Selahy (My Weapon)

A young, deaf Arab girl, born in the ravages of a war zone, whose only weapons are her hearing aids and an old video camera.

The film explores an internal conflict surrounding a family of Jewish immigrants from Iran (played by Muslim actors) now living in present-day Los Angeles. I offer a window into the taboo subjects of religious intolerance and intermarriage outside of one's culture. The choice that the heroine makes may seem controversial to some, but I believe it is a heart-wrenching and powerful decision that is becoming a new reality. The film was shot in English and Farsi, a language that I had to learn.

Over My Dead Body

When a young Jewish Persian-American woman tells her parents that her fiance is Muslim, they make her choose between him and them.

In present day Queens, New York, a Turkish gravedigger is unable to face a shattering truth, and risks losing the dearest connection left in his life.

Leylak

In present day Queens, New York, a Turkish gravedigger is unable to face a shattering truth, and risks losing the dearest connection left in his life.

Live Q&amp;A with the filmmakers on Zoom! Recordings must be requested and aren't guaranteed.

Filmmaker Q&A | Middle Eastern Cinema Short Films

InFocus: Middle Eastern Cinema Short Films + Filmmaker Q&A

Films + Filmmaker Q&A

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