2014 Festival

Diaspora in Short

Every year, Diaspora in Short showcases short films by talented diasporic filmmakers. This year, we havefive films made by Iraqi young filmmakers and one by an Iranian-Canadian

Children of God

Ahmed Yassin, UK/The Netherlands, 2013, 10 min, in Arabic with English Subtitles

A young amputee boy bets his prized possessions, a series of football posters, on the girl’s team winning a battle-of-the-sexes football match in an attempt to gain the affections of his crush, their goalkeeper.

Children of War

Medoo Ali, UK/The Netherlands, 2013, 10 min in Arabic with English Subtitles

In an Iraqi orphanage a young victim of the war reveals his anguish and his experiences through a series of drawings. His childlike mind contorts the events, but from his perspective we see the war unraveling around him.

Happy Birthday

Mohanad Hayal, UK/The Netherlands, 2013, 8 min, in Arabic with English Subtitles

On the anniversary of “Black Wednesday”, and his 5th birthday a young boy is taken to visit his father’s grave. Distracted by his toy car the little boy wanders off and becomes lost in the labyrinth of graves where he meets an unconventional new friend who will mysteriously lead him back to his mother.

Nasma’s Birds

Najwan Ali, UK/The Netherlands, 2013, 8 min, in Arabic with English Subtitles

Awkward 11-year-old Nesma is at odds with the world around her since she began caring for her father’s pigeons after this death, being forced to get rid of the birds by her mother today will see Nesma face an even bigger challenge as she enters womanhood.

War Canister

Yahya Al-Allaq, UK/The Netherlands, 11 min, in Arabic with English Subtitles

A young deaf boy from Baghdad can only dream of a childhood. He is forced to steal oil canisters in order to support his financially troubled family, but an eventful bus ride home will see him for forget his responsibilities for some frivolous fun and a desperate search ensues to find the oil he’s lost.

Poems of Cigarettes and Winter