A Bahraini filmmaker is garnering international acclaim as his horror short film sweeps the global festival circuit, picking up a string of prestigious awards along the way.
Hope, an 18-minute narrative directed by Ahmed Zayani, delves into the universal themes of loss and grief while weaving in elements of Bahraini cultural identity.
The film has been officially selected for 19 film festivals, with responses still pending from another 50. It has also won two notable awards – the Audience Choice Award at Horror Haus in Los Angeles in October and the Programmer’s Award for Cinematic Excellence in Sherman Oaks Film Festival in Los Angeles last month.
Speaking to the GDN, the 40-year-old filmmaker from Riffa said he set out to create something culturally authentic while pushing beyond what audiences typically associate with Bahraini cinema.
“While I wanted to keep Bahraini culture tied to the film, I also wanted to create something this country has not really seen before and present it on the international stage,” he said.
The non-traditional love story is set against the backdrop of a world that is still grieving from a pandemic and the challenges faced by individuals who suffered losses as a result of it.
To appeal to a global audience, Mr Zayani incorporated both Arabic and English dialogues into the narrative.
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