NewFilmmakers Los Angeles celebrated Middle Eastern, Arab and Dutch Cinema with stories of a young Arab-American drag queen confronting his conservative father, a teenage girl attempting to flee her grief, and a Turkish gravedigger unable to face a shattering truth.
The program began with the InFocus: Dutch Cinema, a compelling collection of exciting work from Dutch short film directors that dive deeply into themes of loss and resilience. The program continued with InFocus: Arab Cinema, an exciting program of short films that showcases Arab storytellers telling vivid stories of personal struggle and emigration. The night concluded with InFocus: Middle Eastern Cinema, a selection of short films from Middle Eastern filmmakers that tell meaningful stories of reconnection and generational strife.
NFMLA showcases films by filmmakers of all backgrounds throughout the year in addition to its special InFocus programming, which celebrates diversity, inclusion, and region. All filmmakers are welcome and encouraged to submit their projects which will be considered for all upcoming NFMLA Festivals, regardless of the InFocus programming.
Here is some information on the filmmakers and their films, as well as their video interviews with NFMLA Board Chair Danny De Lillo (Twitter/Instagram: @dannydelillo).
“Mariam,” directed by Reem Jubran
About Reem: Reem Jubran is a Palestinian-American director and writer currently pursuing an M.F.A. in Directing/Writing from UCLA. Her debut short narrative film “Mariam” (2021) premiered at Outfest Fusion Film Festival. Her first feature in-development, Sou-Sou, was selected for the Producer’s Highlight Program at the Palestine Pavilion the Cannes 2020 Marche du Film. She received several awards for her short films, including the HFPA Award and the Jim Morrison Film Fund.
About “Mariam”: A young Arab-American amateur drag queen has to confront his conservative father and ailing grandfather about his identity on an average night gone terribly wrong.
Watch the NFMLA interview with Reem Jubran, director of “Mariam”:
“Over My Dead Body,” directed by Meital Cohen Navarro
About Meital: Meital Cohen-Navarro is an award-winning, Israeli-born narrative and documentary writer/director based in Los Angeles. She has written and directed short films and feature screenplays which have been won and selected at festivals including the Austin Film Festival, Dances with Films, Raindance Film Festival and the San Luis Obispo International Film Festival, among others. Meital’s background imbues her narrative films and screenplays with a detail-oriented realism that tells stories of ordinary people and the unique challenges women face in their daily lives.
About “Over My Dead Body”: When a young Jewish Persian-American woman tells her parents that her fiancé is Muslim, they make her choose between him and them.
Watch the NFMLA interview with Meital Cohen Navarro, director of “Over My Dead Body”:
“Borekas,” directed by Saleh Saadi
About Saleh: Saleh Saadi is a Palestinian director and writer from Basmat Tab’un, born on July 6, 1998. Saleh’s first short film Borekas (2020) was part of the Official Selection of the Palm Springs International ShortFest and Outfest. His second short film is “A’lam (Flag),” which he wrote, directed, and acted in.
About “Borekas”: A father gives his son a ride to the airport. The car breaks down on the way.
Watch the NFMLA interview with Saleh Saadi, director of “Borekas”:
“Pause,” directed by Tamer Shaaban
About Tamer: In 2011 Tamer was named one of Youth Service America’s 25 Under 25 Most Influential Young people for his humanitarian work. He has also directed ads for Audi, Nissan, Lay’s and the UEFA Champions League, featuring Lionel Messi, Pepsico and more. In 2021, Tamer was chosen as a fellow for the Commercial Directors Diversity Program and won a Clio for Sports in advertising for his Lay’s campaign. “Pause” made its world premiere at the Austin Film Festival and was an Official Selection at the Pan African Film Festival.
About “Pause”: A young woman, suffering from depression, stands on a ledge ready to end her life when she’s interrupted by an uninvited visitor.
Watch the NFMLA interview with Tamer Shaaban, director of “Pause”:
“Selahy (My Weapon),” directed by Alaa Zabara
About Alaa: Alaa Zabara is a Hard-of-Hearing Yemeni-American director and cinematographer. Drawn to the power of photographs from an early age, she started to document the daily life around her through the use of a camera. Her approach in telling stories is, through vision, to challenge herself in telling stories that come from personal experience and have a representation of what is usually untold or hidden. She expresses her take on the world creatively, insightfully, and humanely.
About “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.
Watch the NFMLA interview with Alaa Zabara, director of “Selahy (My Weapon)”:
“A Holiday From Mourning,” directed by Zara Dwinger
About Zara: Zara Dwinger is a writer-director who makes visually stylized and playful films with a heart. She gravitates towards stories about young people finding their place in the world. Zara started studying at the Dutch Film Academy. After graduating as a director in 2017 she made two shorts: “Yulia & Juliet” (2018) which premiered at the Berlinale and became a Vimeo Staff Pick, and her screenwriting-debut “A Holiday From Mourning” (2020).
About “A Holiday From Mourning”: A teenage girl attempts to flee the grief she has felt since her mothers’ death by going on a post-exam trip to a Portuguese party town.
Watch the NFMLA interview with Zara Dwinger, director of “A Holiday From Mourning”:
“Leylak,” directed by Scott Aharoni and Dennis Latos
About Scott: Scott Aharoni is a Tribeca award winning independent producer, director, and creative strategist. Scott’s latest film, “Leylak,” world premiered at the 20th annual Tribeca Film Festival and was awarded a Special Jury Prize. He was born in Great Neck, New York, and holds a Bachelor of Science in Film & Television from the Honors College at Hofstra University with Summa Cum Laude Honors. Scott has produced a diversified range of ad campaigns for international brands and has produced several award-winning films that have garnered international success and premiered at world-class film festivals.
About Dennis: Dennis Latos is an award-winning director and producer from New York City. To date, Dennis has produced, directed, and edited several award-winning short films. Dennis’ company, DUO Entertainment, has been featured on CBS and several other platforms as an emerging production company producing strong narrative work. Dennis has been mentored by Emmy Award-winning director and producer Greg Yaitanes and has worked under veteran Warner Bros. producer Michael Tadross.
About Mustafa: Mustafa Kaymak is the co-CEO of Cinegryphon Entertainment, an American independent entertainment company specializing in film and television development, production and financing. He is a Sundance and Tribeca award-winning writer and producer.
About “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.
Watch the NFMLA interview with Scott Aharoni, Dennis Latos and Mustafa Kaymak, directors, writer and producers of “Leylak”:
“Beity,” directed by Isabelle Mecattaf
About Isabelle: Isabelle is a French-Lebanese filmmaker based in New York City. She studied English Literature and Philosophy at the University of Pennsylvania, after which she worked on big productions, such as Steven Spielberg’s The Post and smaller independent projects. She is currently a thesis year Graduate Film Student at the Tisch School of the Arts, where she has produced short films in New York, Paris and Los Angeles. Her most recent film, Beity, screened at the Toronto International Film Festival and Hollyshorts and is still making festival rounds.
About “Beity”: Beity is about a mother who is awaiting the return of her daughter, and spends the day smoking and tormenting the household staff so as not to face her pain.
Watch the NFMLA interview with Isabelle Mecattaf, director of “Beity”:
“Marlon Brando,” directed by Vincent Tilanus
About Vincent: Vincent Tilanus is a writer and director based in Amsterdam. Vincent graduated from the Netherlands Film Academy in 2018 with the fiction short film “Gold Leaf (Bladgoud)” (2018) which has screened at film festivals around the world and won the Prix Amnesty International France at the Poitiers Film Festival. His latest short film “Marlon Brando” (2020) is officially selected for the prestigious Semaine de la Critique of the Cannes Film Festival and the Toronto International Film Festival. “Marlon Brando” was also nominated for a Dutch academy award (Golden Calf) for best short film. His newest medium-length feature Heartbeats won the Golden Calf for best actor in a leading role.
About “Marlon Brando”: Best friends Cas and Naomi, both gay, are graduating from high school and are together every single day, until their future plans change their relationship forever.
Watch the NFMLA interview with Vincent Tilanus, director of “Marlon Brando”:
“Aziz,” directed by Ramiel Petros
About Ramiel: Ramiel Petros is a first generation Iraqi-American writer/director based in NYC. He is a graduate of NYU Tisch School of the Arts majoring in Film & Television, where his thesis film was a semi-finalist for the Student Academy Awards, and shortlisted for the Student BAFTA Awards. Ramiel is the recipient of the Akhtar-Bhutta production award, the Russell Hexter filmmaker grant, the Thomas William Gidro-Frank, and the Pond5 filmmakers first award. He is currently a Creative Culture Fellow at the Jacob Burns Film Center.
About “Aziz”: Childhood friends, whose seemingly playful road trip belies the difficult route ahead, find their friendship forever altered by the final stop.
Watch the NFMLA interview with Ramiel Petros, director of “Aziz”:
Main image: A scene from “Leylak,” directed by Scott Aharoni and Dennis Latos.
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