Uncharted Paths: DocuShorts in Focus

An evening of short documentary films from the region, works by artists taking part in Image Nation Abu Dhabi’s Arab Film Studios programme:

Luminary: dir Nada Jahed
Arabic, 9.5 mins
A poetic portrait of a blind father who is strongly determined to deliver his message to the world.

M1K0: dir Fahad Shaikh
English, 8 mins
Follows Polish software engineer Mikolaj Zenliski as he trains in the desert after getting through to the next stage of the Mars One project.

Umma: dir Shoayb Khattab
Silent, 8 mins
A non-verbal mediation journey of the umma, a sardine-like fish, from the net to the plate.

Jumaa and Hakim: dir Alawi Shareef
Arabic and English, 10 mins
One young boy is homeless, another struggles to survive in the jungle. Their journey in life is forever altered by the influence of a stranger from another land.

The Girl with the Accent: dir Nadia Durry
English, 10 mins
An Ethiopian woman’s embrace of her identity through the colour of her skin.

The Shave: dir Fajer Alalami
Arabic, 10 mins
A coming-of-age story: a medical condition means Mohammed has an ongoing struggle to prove his manhood in the face of masculine stereotypes.

The screenings are followed by a panel discussion involving all the directors alongside Waleed Al Madani, a documentary filmmaker and editing instructor at Arab Film Studio under the Creative Media Authority, and Aiham Al Subaihi, filmmaker, actor, and full-time acting teacher at Sharjah Performing Arts Academy.