Migration, wedding pressure, and an unspoken bond were among the subjects as NewFilmmakers Los Angeles (NFMLA) hosted its InFocus: Middle Eastern and Arab Cinema program.
The festival showcased an international lineup of films by talented emerging Middle Eastern and Arab filmmakers across two short film programs, including one curated in partnership with Mizna, which for 25 years has has promoted contemporary and experimental approaches to art, literature, and film, questioning and expanding the forms and conceptual frameworks of Arab and SWANA culture.
Mizna publishes a biannual print literary and art journal and produces the Twin Cities Arab Film Festival, the largest and longest-running SWANA-centered film festival in the Midwest. The films included thoughtful, meditative and engaging comedies, dramas, experimental and documentary works with stories, filmmakers and influences from Iraq, Palestine, Egypt, Lebanon, Morocco and Saudi Arabia.
The festival’s program also included a collection of shorts about coming of age, being caught between two cultures, embracing connection, and being transformed by a chance meeting. It included the Oscar-qualified film “Nightfaces,” directed by Martin Winter and Stefan Langthaler.
NFMLA showcases films by filmmakers of all backgrounds throughout the year, across both our general and InFocus programming. All filmmakers are welcome and encouraged to submit their projects for consideration for upcoming NFMLA Festivals, regardless of the schedule for InFocus programming, which celebrates representation by spotlighting various communities of filmmakers as part of the NFMLA Monthly Film Festival. This project is made possible in part by grant support from the City of Los Angeles Department of Cultural Affairs (DCA), and the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA).
Here are interviews and details about the films and filmmakers, provided by NFMLA.
“Whispers of Home,” directed by Sahar Ghorishi
About Sahar: Sahar Ghorishi is a British-Iranian multidisciplinary artist and filmmaker based in Los Angeles. She holds a BA in Fine Arts from Goldsmiths, University of London, and an MFA in Film Production from Chapman University with a focus on directing. She works across film, documentary, illustration, and photography, using each medium to explore womanhood, identity, and diasporic memory.
Her illustration practice blends fine art and storytelling, centering women and cultural narratives. She has created film illustrations for the Locarno Film Festival, and her design work has been featured in publications such as The Guardian and Harper’s Magazine. As a filmmaker, Sahar is the founder of Journey of/to Dawn, a creative platform dedicated to narrative films, documentaries, and visual series that examine Middle Eastern beauty, identity, and truth. Her documentary The Fall of the Standard of Beauty: The Iranian Nose delves into beauty politics and cultural perception. Her recent short film “A Breathless Flower” centers on the Woman, Life, Freedom movement in Iran, while Whispers of Home explores displacement and the meaning of home. Sahar’s work is known for challenging Western beauty standards and amplifying underrepresented voices through a poetic, visually driven lens. She continues to dedicate her art to her heritage, using storytelling as both cultural preservation and resistance.
About “Whispers of Home”: A mother and daughter struggle to live in harmony as they both want different things and have different definitions of freedom. This story addresses the migration and displacement of Iranian women.
Watch the NFMLA interview with Shahar Ghorishi, the director of “Whispers of Home”:
“Passarinho,” directed by Natalia García Agraza
About Natalia: Natalia is a Mexican director and screenwriter who graduated from the Centro de Capacitación Cinematográfica in 2023. She directed the short film “The Last Romantic,” nominated for the Student Oscars in 2019, and participated in more than 60 international festivals, including Tribeca, Los Angeles Film Festival, and Morelia Film Festival. She is currently working on her first feature film, Acapulco.
About “Passarinho”: Two teenage girls try to meet their favorite soccer player, but the plan is threatened when one of them gets her first period.
Watch the NFMLA interview with Natalia García Agraza, the director of “Passarinho”:
“She Sings,” directed by Ahmed Ragheb and Lily Ekimian
About Ahmed and Lily: Ahmed T. Ragheb and Lily Ekimian Ragheb are a married filmmaking duo based in Pittsburgh. Lily (American, Russian and Armenian) grew up between Washington, D.C., and Cairo, Egypt. Ahmed (Egyptian, Dutch and American) was born and raised in Cairo. Their films emphasize identity, feminism, cultural dislocation and domestic relationships, and are noted for their use of voiceover and mixed media. Screenings include IFFR (Tiger Short Competition), Cairo IFF, Uppsala (Nominated, Ingmar Bergman Award), AIFVF, the Arab American National Museum and the Mattress Factory. Artist residencies include Squeaky Wheel and the Bemis Center. Together they founded the production company Studio Ragheb.
About “She Sings”: Aziza shares a recurring dream that takes her on a surreal journey through the post-industrial hills of the American Rust Belt, the eternal fields of Egypt, and the most repressed parts of her mind.
Watch the NFMLA interview with Ahmed Ragheb and Lily Ekimian, the directors of “She Sings”:
“Everything Between Us (Aramızda Kalan Her Şey),” directed by Ilgın G. Korugan
About Ilgın G. Korugan: Ilgın began experimenting with film and video during their undergraduate education at Brown University. After graduating in 2018, they moved to Los Angeles to work as an assistant to Margaret Brown, who had just begun developing her documentary feature, Descendant. Afterwards, Ilgın worked at Blumhouse Productions as an office assistant, later transitioning to post-production assistant. Since 2022, they have been working on set for various films and commercials in both Los Angeles and Istanbul. “Aramızda Kalan Her Şey (Everything Between Us)” is their first professional short film.
About “Everything Between Us (Aramızda Kalan Her Şey)”: Alienated by bullies at school and her strict mother at home, Azra seeks solace by a serene riverside. There, she develops an unspoken bond with a girl who joins her on the opposite shore, opening herself up despite her fears.
Watch the NFMLA interview with Ilgın G. Korugan, the director of “Everything Between Us (Aramızda Kalan Her Şey)”:
“Death Comes To My Side” music video, directed by Oliver Anderson
About Oliver: Oliver Anderson is a globally award-winning filmmaker whose work reimagines stop-motion animation through playful yet poignant toy-inspired worlds and colorful, creature-characters. Under the alias San Francisco Toys, he’s developed a signature style that merges dark comedy with a compassionate outlook, using humor as a way to connect with audiences navigating difficult times. Passionate about helping “diamonds in the rough,” Ollie continues to push the boundaries of handcrafted animation, creating films that both entertain and resonate on a deeper emotional level. He’s currently finishing a 40-minute stop-motion animation TV special starring an Academy Award winning actress, two-time Master’s champion, founder of the Solheim Cup, and other surprise A-listers.
About “Death Comes To My Side”: In a darkly comic showdown, three dolls must outplay Death in a carnival of cruel games, where victory means rebirth — but the cycle ends exactly where it begins. Death always wins.
Watch the NFMLA interview with Oliver Anderson, the director of “Death Come To My Side”:
“Möbius Loop,” directed by Lee Peterkin
About Lee: Lee Peterkin is a first-generation Palestinian-American filmmaker and founder of Treo Pictures, a boutique production company specializing in music videos, short films, and commercials. A multidisciplinary storyteller, he’s self-taught in cinematography, editing, and sound, with credits spanning sci-fi, drama, and music-driven narratives. His award-winning films include “Möbius Loop,” “Glance,” and “Prism.” Lee has collaborated with agencies like Sunshine Sachs and Condé Nast, and done commercial work for brands including Nike and BabyBjörn. His screenplay Za’atar received an Open Screenplay award, and his cinematography on “Barry,” which premiered at SXSW, earned a Grand Jury Award nomination.
About “Möbius Loop”: “Möbius Loop” is a science-fiction film about a scientist, Senna, seeking to perfect a mind- jumping time-travel project. Upon finding a VHS tape that compels her to delve into her family’s past, she uncovers the key to her research, but in doing so suffers deadly consequences.
Watch the NFMLA interview with Lee Peterkin, the director of “Möbius Loop”:
“My So-Called Iraqi Wedding,” directed by Ayser Salman
About Ayser: Ayser Salman is a filmmaker and award-winning editor dedicated to amplifying underrepresented voices. Born in Iraq and raised in Kentucky with a formative stint in Saudi Arabia, her nomadic upbringing shaped her passion for storytelling. Her comic memoir, The Wrong End of the Table (Skyhorse Publishing, 2019), about growing up Iraqi Muslim in the American South, landed on multiple cultural best-seller lists. Driven by this independent spirit, Ayser wrote, produced, directed, and edited the short film “My So-Called Iraqi Wedding,” hoping to inspire more Iraqi American women’s stories. She also teaches writing classes helping emerging writers discover their authentic voices.
About “My So-Called Iraqi Wedding”: A comedy short film about the pressures Arab American Muslim women face in reconciling traditional values with a growing modern society that encourages us to find our own happiness.
Watch the NFMLA interview with Ayser Salman, the director of “My So-Called Iraqi Wedding”:
“Re-Entry,” directed by Ariel Mahler
About Ariel: Ariel Mahler is an award-winning trans filmmaker whose work explores memory, identity, and transformation. Her films have screened at renowned venues including Toronto’s TIFF Lightbox, the Hammer Museum, and the TCL Chinese Theatre. Her short film “Re-Entry,” won the Audience Award for Best LGBTQ+ Short at the SCAD Savannah Film Festival and Best Short at Katra Film Series, with additional screenings at festivals worldwide. Her short documentary, “Evan Ever After,” earned multiple honors, including Best Florida Short at the Florida Film Festival and jury prizes at Out on Film Atlanta and Stamped Film Festival. Ariel has been on HuffPost’s list of 10 Trans Filmmakers You Should Know, and IMDB’s 20 trans filmmakers working today. She holds an MFA in Directing from the American Film Institute Conservatory.
About “Re-Entry”: A trans NASA scientist rediscovers a long-lost satellite she helped launch, forcing her to face her past and reconcile who she once was with who she’s always been.
Watch the NFMLA interview with Ariel Mahler, the director of “Re-Entry”:
“Salma!,” directed by Mary Hanna
About Mary: Mary Hanna is an Egyptian-Canadian filmmaker based in Montreal, Canada. Through whimsical and thoughtful films she attempts to find spaces within the SWANA region and grey pockets that aren’t highlighted in mainstream media. Trained in both architecture and documentary filmmaking, Mary has a deep interest in exploring narrative storytelling through a diasporic SWANA lens. Her stories aim to explore desire, propriety and cultural baggage through a comedic tone, as well as exploring intimate and interpersonal stories that are lined with humorous diasporic themes. Currently her short film “Salma!” which explores drag, belly dance and SWANA identity is being screened in festivals.
About “Salma!”: As Hadi is swept into a flood of childhood memories from Lebanon, he steps into the dreamlike whimsical world of Salma Zahore.
Watch the NFMLA interview with Mary Hanna, the director of “Salma!”:
“Dawn Every Day,” directed by Amir Youssef
About Amir: Amir is an Egyptian filmmaker who strives to create unconventional stories that echo unheard voices, while drawing inspiration from the extremely rich culture of his native Egypt. In his latest work, Amir focuses on themes of alienation and identity during periods of social and political chaos. Amir’s films have played at BFI London Film Festival, Slamdance, SFFILM, Cleveland International Film Festival, Emir Kusturica’s Kustendorf Film Festival, Directors Notes, Princeton University and the National Gallery of Art. It also won awards at El Gouna Film Festival, Urbanworld, Thomas Edison Film Festival, and Oakland International Film Festival, amongst others.
About “Dawn Every Day”: In 1956, 8-year-old Nabil navigates new social norms he cannot fathom that impact his next door best friend in post-nationalized Egypt. Inspired by true events.
Watch the NFMLA interview with Evan Weidenkeller, the DP of “Dawn Every Day”:
Main image: “Whispers of Home.” NFMLA
