By Kheir Eddine Bouchikhi | DEENO BK

Short Fiction Films: Mirrors of the Arab Reality in a Language that Breathes Cinema

In the 13th edition of the Oran International Arab Film Festival, short fiction films emerge as a living space pulsating with passion and a deep desire for renewal — as if filmmakers are collectively writing a cinematic letter to an audience searching for meaning in a time that has lost so much of its own. These films do not merely tell stories; they plunge beyond the surface of the image, into that fragile territory between dream and disillusionment, between memory and the future — where the Arab individual becomes a being who writes his features with the camera more than with words.

In this edition, one senses that the short film has transcended its old perception as a simple exercise or a first step toward a feature, evolving instead into a fully mature artistic form, possessing its own language and power to astonish and move. In just a few minutes, the Arab filmmaker manages to capture an intense moment that speaks for an entire society, a thought that shakes collective conscience, or a small ache that resonates deep within us as viewers.

The visions vary between realism — touching on the minute details of Arab daily life — and symbolism, which reinterprets reality through a poetic language that transforms pain into beauty and suffering into reflection. Within this diversity lies the richness of the festival, revealing cinematic experiences from across the Arab world, all bound by a common pursuit: the search for self, and for a sense of belonging in a world in constant transformation.

These short films resemble scattered fragments of mirrors, each reflecting a face of Arab reality — a reality burdened with questions, yet still capable of dreaming. Between screening halls, filmmakers’ discussions, and the audience’s gazes, emerges the true feeling that Arab cinema — especially its younger generation — is alive and pulsing, and that the spirit of experimentation and renewal continues to ignite our original passion for the seventh art.

 

“I Lay for You to Sleep” – Directed by Ali Al-Hajri (Qatar)

The festival opens with a meditative film where reality and spirit intersect. Ali’s body is washed by women mourning his death in a ritual scene that transforms into a spiritual journey between memory and eternity. The film fuses realism and abstraction in a visual composition linking death with serenity.

 

“Abu Judy” – Written and Directed by Adel Ahmed Yehia (Egypt)

The film follows Judy, a young girl accompanying her father to work until an incident threatens their fragile bond. Through minimalist mise-en-scène and natural lighting, the director portrays the fragility of fatherhood in a moment of deep human vulnerability.

 

“Khaled & Nema” – Directed by Souheil Dahal (Palestine)

This film follows Khaled, a Bedouin child, and his goat Nema, as they attempt to save their village from displacement by reviving the memory of a man with Alzheimer’s. Blending symbolism and visual metaphor, the film uses the beauty of nature as resistance against the erasure of identity.

 

Body” – Written and Directed by Khaled Anwar OmaR Ahmed (Yemen)

The story of Mukhtar, a disciplined employee who accidentally commits murder, becomes a psychological exploration of guilt and punishment in a society where innocence is sacrificed in the name of order. With a restrained visual tone, the film examines moral decay beneath societal rigidity.

 

“One Last Time …Directed by Jafra Younes (Syria)

The film delves into the relationship between Ruba, a depressed artist, and her retired military father. Between preparing lunch and listening to music, unfolds a quiet struggle between the will to die and the instinct to live. Through slow rhythm and internal montage, Younes transforms daily dialogue into moments of existential confrontation.

 

“Sakina”      Written and Directed by Adnane Abed (Algeria)

Sakina is preparing to leave the country, but a stolen bag and a dying mother alter her path. The film presents a human meditation on escape and return, using close-ups and gray lighting to express the tension between memory and belonging.

 

“Sahar)  Directed by Kouheil Khaled (Iraq)

In an oppressive setting, activist Ali is arrested and his wife Sahar is placed in the same cell. Out of suffering blooms tenderness. The film crafts a paradox between pain and love, with intimate cinematography that captures the rawness of reality.

 

“Zahra”  Written and Directed by Hadi Chattat (Palestine/Jordan)

Zahra, a pregnant laborer, struggles to find money for a C-section while facing a society devoid of compassion. The film reveals class conflict through naturalistic imagery and balanced editing that connects body and dignity.

 

~ in Three Layers of Darkness– Written and Directed by Houssam Essellouli (Tunisia)

Ghassan’s journey to obtain a visa exposes the suffocating bureaucracy faced by Arab migrants. Through dim lighting and confined spaces, the director creates a visual metaphor for existential alienation.

 

“A Beautiful Excuse for a Deadly Sin”  Written and Directed by Hashim Sharaf (Bahrain)

A young man tries to bring a horse into his small apartment, triggering an absurd clash between dream and reality. Employing absurdist cinema, the film delivers a biting social critique and opens questions about the limits of freedom and imagination.

 

“A Passing Day” Written and Directed by Rasha Rizk Shahin (Syria/Egypt)

Through the concept of a single passing day, the director explores time and memory — a meditation on departure and rebirth. Using long takes and a still rhythm, Shahin turns one ordinary day into a mirror of an entire life.

 

“Positive Result”  Directed by Nidal El-Malouhi (Algeria)

A couple without legal documents awaits a decisive result, only to receive a deportation notice. Yet, a forgotten letter carries a tragic revelation. Through a visual language of light contrasts and fragmented memories, the film becomes a study in human anticipation.

 

“Coop”  Directed by Mojtaba Zaki Al-Hajji (Saudi Arabia)

Adam, a boy who ruins a football match, embarks on a journey through the marketplace to make amends. Told from a child’s innocent perspective, the film portrays friendship and forgiveness with realism infused with humor and tenderness.