Shorts Program II - Canadian Showcase

Join us at MIFF on Saturday, November 1st for our second Shorts Program highlighting Canadian cinema through short form films! Welcome to Shorts Program II - Canadian Showcase, presented by MIFF! Join us for a compelling selection of short films from Canadian Muslim filmmakers. This program brings together diverse voices, perspectives, and stories from across Canada, showcasing the creativity and talent of Muslim filmmakers within the Canadian film community. The screening will be followed by a Q&A with the respective filmmakers. *Parental Guidance is Suggested* Film line up: • Permanent Guest: In Lahore, 26-year-old Fatin and her mother, Yasmeen, are preparing for a neighborhood wedding when their plans are unexpectedly interrupted by the arrival of Shabeer, Yasmeen’s 70-year-old brother-in-law. Shabeer, who lives in another city, has come for both the wedding and medical tests at a local hospital. • Bismillah : 4 year old Azhar freezes during his Bismillah ceremony, a moment that marks him with shame. 30 years later, his mother Ayesha pleads with him to attend his niece Alina's own Bismillah ceremony. Azhar initially refuses to engage with the community and culture that he believes scarred him, but then has a change of heart. • Just Friends: A hopeless romantic. A guarded friend. One careful confession that forces them both to finally reckon with what they've been calling friendship. • Kya Poem: After losing her mom, a grieving Pakistani-Canadian teenager discovers a magical VHS tape. • Vital: A mother in Iran, considers selling her organs to save her daughter, while in the United States, a doctor faces ethical dilemmas to save his daughter, revealing the complexities of organ trade. • Plan Jinn: A Pakistani-Canadian woman, desperate to escape a forced arranged marriage, devises a plan to fake a Jinn possession. • Paper Boat: Dying Talib races across an ocean of limbo with his grandfather in a desperate attempt to live again.