Changing Times
Ajyal Competition - Ajyal Film Festival 2021
/ Yemen, Kenya, United States of America, Qatar, Germany, Jordan, Palestine, Lebanon, Iran, Norway, Iraq, France, India, United Arab Emirates / 2021 / 101 min / Colour / DCP / In Multiple / Arabic, English subtitles
Themes:
Rated: 
Parental guidance is advised for viewers under the age of 13. Individuals under the age of 13 are not admitted into cinemas unless accompanied by an individual aged 18 or older.
Description
Change is inevitable; it is how we adapt and overcome that defines us. In this dynamic programme of shorts, we explore the natural state of turmoil and seek to find meaning in chaos.
Olayan
A Bedouin boy named Hamad forms a bond with a newborn camel, who he calls Olayan. When Olayan is later sold to market, young Hamad embarks on a mission to rescue his friend.
Director: Khalifa Al-Marri
Qatar / Arabic / 2021 / 18 mins
Don't Get Too Comfortable
Shaima Al-Tamimi shares an introspective letter to her deceased grandfather, reflecting on her ancestral migrational journey and its implications over three generations.
Director: Shaima Al-Tamimi
Yemen, Kenya USA, Qatar, UAE / English, Swahili, Arabic / 2021 / 9 mins
Night
In a city devastated by war, it can be difficult to sleep, let alone dream. To ease a women’s anguish, Night tricks her into seeing her missing child one last time.
Director: Ahmad Saleh
Germany, Qatar, Jordan, Palestine / Arabic / 2021 / 16 mins
Summer Fasting
Scorching beneath the summer sun, eleven-year-old Kader is determined to observe Ramadan for the first time with the unsolicited help of his best friend, Rudy.
Director: Abdenoure Ziane
France / French / 2020 / 18 mins
Peek-A-Boom
Surrounded by her loving family on her birthday, a startling event occurs that will shape young Mira’s life forever.
Directors: Maya Zankoul, Toni Yammine
Lebanon / Arabic / 2021 / 5 mins
Shadegan
A day in the life of a 12-year-old fisherman on his boat in Shadegan Pond, Iran—his second home and the source of his family's livelihood.
Director: Ako Salemi
Iran / No dialogue / 2020 / 15 mins
Silence
A young Kurdish girl who has recently become deaf from an infection struggles with her disability and begins to feel increasingly isolated from her community.
Director: Brwa Vahabpour
Norway, Iraq / Kurdish / 2020 / 15 mins
Tomorrow My Love
An old man is separated from his hospitalised wife due to the pandemic. But love will always find a way in this painstakingly illustrated and affecting short about connection and loss.
Director: Gitanjali Rao
India / No dialogue / 2021 / 4 mins