Ajyal Film Festival 2023

All Films

Asfoora

Made in Qatar

Mayar Hamdan / Short Narrative / Qatar / 2015 / 10 min / Colour / DCP2K
In Arabic, English / Arabic, English subtitles
Interests: Animation, Women, Coming of age, Middle Eastern, Art/Literature, Adaptation, Fantasy, Youth, Dark Comedy, Violence
Qatar Premiere

Synopsis

When she is caught cheating on an exam, Jana is sent to detention, where she encounters a cruel bird that taunts her mercilessly. The schoolgirl goes to extreme lengths to silence the creature (and cover up the messy aftermath), but it keeps coming back to pick on her insecurities. Using a mix of live-action and animation, this stylish dark comedy shows us what happens when we act on our dangerous impulses.

About the Directors

A storyteller and filmmaker, Mayar Hamdan graduated from Northwestern University in Qatar with a degree in Media Industries and Technology. During her studies, Mayar was president of Studio20Q and founded Not Another Film Club. She was awarded Studio20Q grants for her films ‘Asfoora’ (2014) and ‘Man Down’ (2015). ‘Asfoora’ won the Best Short Narrative Award at the Ajyal Youth Film Festival, and the Audience Choice Award at the Washington Arab Film Festival, and screened at the Chicago Palestinian Film Festival, among others. More recently, Hamdan has worked on numerous prjoects as a script editor, producer and art director. She currently works at the Doha Film Institute as a Film Training and Development Assistant.

Credits

Director
Mayar Hamdan
Screenwriter
Mayar Hamdan
Producer
Jaimee Haddad
Editor
Jaser Al Agha
Music
Mashrou' Leila
Cinematographer
Shahnawaz Zali
Cast
Elena Feghali, Jaser Al Agha, Gladys Abi-Said, Randa Al Qudah, Maysa Ali

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