(Shorts 3)
Mike Elsherif
USA
28’ | 2024
Arabic and English with English subtitles
Laila, a Palestinian-American drummer, visits her grandmother in her new apartment during a powerful storm under the guise of helping her unpack. But her nefarious goals slowly unfold as they delve deeper into the mystical night full of Turkish coffee fortune readings, maqluba, and past trauma. The film is a macabre fable about two generations of immigrants struggling to deal with displacement, life in the diaspora, and mortality.
Cast: Rand Faris and Amineh Elsherif
Director of Photography: JohnBen Lacy
Composer: Zach Driscoll
Production Designer: W.G. Rickel
Costume Designer: Tora Eff
Producers: JohnBen Lacy, Shepherd Ahlers, Mike Elsherif
Executive Producer: Julie Crutcher
Mike Elsherif is an award-winning Palestinian-American writer and director who immigrated to America from Kuwait following the Persian Gulf War. His films deal with themes of displacement, mortality, and the immigrant experience. He was recently awarded the Sunbird Stories Award by FilmLab Palestine and the 40 Under 40 Award by Arab America Foundation. He's been a Rawi Fellow at the Rawi Screenwriters Lab, an Al Smith Fellow selected by the Kentucky Arts Council, a Writer-in-Residence at The New Harmony Project, a COLLIDER Artist-in-Residence through the Louisville Free Public Library, and an Artist-in-Residence at Bernheim Forest and Arboretum. Mike is a graduate of the University of North Carolina - School of the Arts School of Filmmaking.