Toronto Arab Film Festival: DIS/ENCHANTMENT (Short Programme)
Runtime: 120 mins | Release Year: 2025 | Rating: | Genre(s):
Production Country: Various | Original Language: Arabic, English, Hebrew
Showtimes
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Wardah
A short documentary that sheds the light on the harsh conditions of domestic workers in Jordan through the story of the Sri Lankan worker Asanka, who is trying to return to her homeland in various ways. and Sarah a Sri Lankan woman fighting to stay in Jordan to help migrant workers through her work as a translator in court.
Milk Brothers
A young single mother sees the boundaries blurring between breastfeeding and maternal instinct under the eyes of Ghali, her son, and Karam, the orphan she is breastfeeding between the walls of a Foundouk in the heart of Fez. But traditional Moroccan society does not view this attachment beyond blood ties favorably.
The chant
The chant is a jordanian short film, it follows three neighbors from different age groups that interconnect with each other on a course of one day. the characters are brought together by Mariam, a woman in her 70s that suffers from Alzaheimers and nostalgic for her past. Mariam keeps following a sound that she believes it’s a calling from her anscestors for an old practise where they used to chant for the rain to fall in dry seasons. The second story is about Aya, a woman in her 30’s, She and her husband are trying to conceive a baby through IVF. on this day, and on her fourth attempt, they are waiting for the results to come out. The third story is about a teenager, Haneen, she unexpectedy gets a visit from her friend Leen, who never visited her before. As Haneeen tries to hide some stuff that belongs to her father around the house. We eventually find out that her father is a dwarf.
As these three stories reach their climax with their struggles, Mariam goes on the building’s roof and starts chanting her anscestors song, believing that it will rain. Despite people’s laughter at her at the beginning. Eventually, we see everyone in the neighborhood coming out from their balconies/ windows including Aya and Haneen as they chant with Mariam, reviving their hope and overcoming their struggles when it starts to rain.
Fariha
Fariha – a 70-year-old woman from Yemen – stepped out of the limelight of a burgeoning singing career in the 80s after a series of set-backs within a male-dominated society and industry. When filmmaker Badr stumbles upon her singing in her kiosk in downtown Sanaa, he insists on following her with his camera to learn about her past and ultimately tries to convince her to return to her long-lost passion: performing on stage!
Malika
Salma, a rebellious 8-year-old is sent to her room until dinnertime for cutting her bangs behind her mother’s back. Instead, she sneaks into bed with her dying Granny, who shares a secret about how she used to be a queen, how her crown was stolen by the beasts of darkness. In light of Granny’s illness, Salma decides to find the crown for her before it’s too late. Granny draws a map that would take her to where the crown is guarded by the beasts and Salma sneaks out of the house to begin her quest.
Starting from the backyard, Salma’s imagination takes her to the wildest places. She meets a fortune-teller who gives her a magic sword that would destroy the beasts. She gets into trouble with the gang of bandits who run rampant in town. She wades through a thick jungle and gets lost in the desert of stars. When she eventually finds the cave where the beasts dwell, she faces them shivering and alone in the dark. But as she opens her heart and turns to them in curiosity, she learns that not all thatâ??s dark is to be feared. Salma takes the magnificent crown home only to be confronted with a revelation that changes everything: the crown was a gift from Granny and her hair and choices belongs to no one but herself.
This is a story about a grandmother-granddaughter relationship and what it means to be a wild girl in a world that asks us to be tame and obey. It’s set in a world of magical realism born out of a child’s imagination.
Bougainvillaea
Amidst Sudan’s popular revolution in December 2018, a group of six women found themselves ensnared within the confines of oppression. Through their journey, a powerful narrative unfolds, revealing the transformative power of determination and the enduring hope that resides within the human spirit.
Cast/Crew Info
Director: Various | Cast: