Twin Cities Arab Film Festival 2023

Love and Diaspora (Shorts Segment)

Expired October 2, 2023 5:00 AM
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In an ideal world, love defines our relationships with friends and family members. But love often comes to us in unexpected moments and forms, as we experience kindness from a stranger, encouragement from a rival sibling, or attention from a new romantic interest. In this short segment, love takes many forms and it underpins stories of diaspora, longing, and relocation, demonstrating the strength of relationships between family and friends, old and new, to provide solace and support.

Set against the dreary Pittsburgh winter, this story follows a couple––Ahmed, an Arab-American actor, and Lily, a photography student––grappling with their cultural and spiritual identities through superstition and art. Their intertwined stories are told through 35mm photography, a sprawling narration, and contradictory subtitles. The ensuing psychogeographic journey explores the urban landscapes of Western Pennsylvania and Egypt, the human psyche, the past, the present, and the anatomy of film itself.

  • Year
    2023
  • Runtime
    9 minutes
  • Language
    English
  • Country
    Egypt, United States
  • Subtitle Language
    English
  • Director
    Lily Ekimian, Ahmed T. Ragheb
  • Cast
    Grace Cooper, Ahmed T. Ragheb