Short films have a distinctive power in representing a culture. It’s particularly capable of highlighting a minor detail of one’s life in an intimate manner. Madani Short aims to show an in-depth depiction of a Muslim’s life through short films.
Madani Short is a non-competitive programme divided into three themes: Parenthood, The Others, and Life Happens. Each of these themes encapsulates the daily life of a Muslim and reflects on the realities of their surroundings and themselves.
The screening of Madani Short will be accompanied by a Q&A session with the directors to further explore the themes brought by their respective films, while addressing how their home country, race, and culture affect the nuances of their narration.
Madani Shorts 1: Parenthood
The most complex human relationship is the one that Islam talks about the most: the relationship between a child and their parents. The complexity of their nature is influenced not only by the biological facts, but also anthropological push and pull. The responsibility of a person towards that of another adds a layer of intensity in the relationship, as affection often comes not without being intertwined with a layer of animosity. The many layers of this relationship will be represented in Madani Short 1: Parenthood.
Madani Shorts 2: The Others
The Others is a section for the voices of those deemed “the otherwise”. These voices might be spoken by those standing from the outside of the comfort of the majority, those who have “other” physicality, those with “other” personalities, those who don’t or can’t conform. Through this program, we wish to amplify the quiet voices of the otherwise ignored. We wish to celebrate and understand the diversity of humanity, instead of fearing “the others”.
Madani Shorts 3: Life Happens
When life gives you lemons, make a lemonade. But what if not even a lemonade can help? Madani Short 3: Life Happens attempt to weave the only-sour experiences of life. The films in this programme talk about people who had to withstand storm after storm with barely a buoy to float on. These films will show characters that are perplexed, scared, and enraged by many things that might also be familiar to us. These are the stories of how they survived.