Practice
…A film by Deva Palmier
Alja falls in love online with Ebb, a self-described jihadi, and longs to visit him. But he insists on setting a series of escalating challenges to prove that she’s tough enough. When events start taking a darker turn, it becomes Alja’s turn to challenge Ebb’s commitment and integrity. A deceptively dark film that focuses on themes of grooming and radicalization, and also challenges us to look at the way we pre-judge people of different nationalities and religions.
9 min | UK | Drama, Suspense
Ina nyo
…A film by Mary Grace Evangelista
Ina nyo (Your Mother) is a day in the life of Ana, a young housemaid in Manila, and her quiet resilience as she is hassled by the family she has come to care for and know. While desperate to send more money to her mother, her job is suddenly jeopardized when the rivalry of the siblings and their desire for her go too far. Ana struggles with how to maintain her livelihood.
12 min | Philippines | Drama
Lunch Time
…A film by Alireza Ghasemi
A 16-year-old girl deals with the responsibility and harsh bureaucracy of having to identify the body of her mother. Inspired by a dream which the director had, this complex and intricate look at the bureaucracy of death in Iran, is powerful.
15 min | Islamic Republic of Iran | Drama
Shed
…A film by Andy McEntire & Matt Burch
Shed centers on Molly, an isolated woman struggling to find a deeper purpose within in the grind of marriage and motherhood. In the brave new world of #MeToo and #TimesUp, these two male, Florida-based filmmakers want viewers, especially men, to examine their own relationships and form deeper connections through empathy and kindness.
13 min | USA | Drama
Transports Davignon
…A film by Yves Chaudouët
A film of near poetic realistic perfection, this first-time director creates a decaying world that exhibits the difference between those who have money and those who don’t care about it. A young heir, without much regard for the life he leads, finds something one day for which he wants, but cannot have.
27 min | France | Drama, Art
Don’t Be Afraid
…A film by Unnikrishnan Parameswaran, Lakshmi Devy & Vishal Mundra
As writer/director/producer Lakshmi Devy put it, “This film is close to my heart as it depicts the life of most Indian girls in a middle class family. It strikes a nerve with most women, as also I believe that at one stage or another, most women across the globe, have gone through life without an option of an opinion.”
20 min | India | Drama, Romance
The Girl in the Blue Bra
…A film by Ayesha Abouelazm
In the midst of the 2011 Egyptian protests, a sheltered young woman is forced out of her comfort zone and into the increasingly hostile streets of revolutionary Cairo. A compelling student project by a female, Egyptian-American, first-time filmmaker who was inspired to make this film and bring attention towards the sexual harassment of women in Egypt and around the world.
12 min | USA | Drama, Crime