AFF: Youth Rebellion (Short Films)

These stories explore the big and small rebellions of young people navigating a sensitive time in their lives. From having a first kiss, to dealing with death, to fulfilling the expectations of gender roles, the characters in these shorts quickly learn what is deemed acceptable for them in no uncertain terms. In turn, their actions become rebellious as they refuse to fit into the lines drawn by friends, family, and society.

Ebb & Flow
Determined to have her first kiss, Loulwa defies her tumultuous world in search of normalcy. As she braves through Beirut in pursuit of her sexual awakening, she finds herself taking an instant leap into adulthood as her world erupts into a redefined “normal”.
Festivals & Awards: Tribeca Film Festival 2024
Director: Nay Tabbara

Muna
British-Somali teen Muna is desperate to go on the school trip – to have fun with her mates, escape the monotony of her household and, of course, provide the greatest playlist of all time (!!). But her parents aren’t so sure. Tragedy strikes when her grandfather dies back in Somalia, and Muna must navigate a confusing mourning period for someone she never really knew – all while still desperately hoping to persuade her mother to change her mind about the trip.
Festivals & Awards: Berlin International Film Festival 2024, Palm Springs Shorts Festival 2024, Winner – Best Short Film & Best Actress at British Short Film Awards
Director: Warda Mohamed

Manity
On a sunny day, Firas, an 11-year-old boy accompanies his father Tayseer and his father’s friend Rayan to a bird-hunting jaunt in the Lebanese mountainside. Tayseer grabs this opportunity to toughen up his son by handing him a knife to slaughter a wounded bird. Firas refused and defied his father’s gender-based expectations and stands up for his beliefs.
Director: Hussen Ibraheem

Chikha
Fatine, a young girl of 17, lives with her mother, Nadia. Nadia is a chikha – a singer and dancer of ‘Aïta’, a popular Moroccan music – in Azemmour, Morrocco. Fatine has just passed her baccalaureate exams and she’s torn between two opposing paths: either committing to the family’s artistic tradition, or a more risk-averse life with her boyfriend, who scorn her heritage.
Director: Zahoua Raji & Ayoub

On My Father’s Grave
A car drives to a Moroccan village. On board, Maïne and her family surround the father’s coffin. Tomorrow, the men will bury him and the women will wait at home. But the young girl takes a very dim view on it and intends to lead with her father to his final resting place
Director: Jawahine Zentar