2020/2021 Winners & Shortlists

Write a short summary of what happens in the film

The film shows a story of connection & empathy between two girls - whose friendship across cultures & faiths expresses a shared humanity & a united future. It starts in the home of a Western family with the mother preparing a lunchbox for her daughter. Following by the natural and habitual journey of the daughter to school and unpacks and builds the story of her friendship with her friend from the Middle Eastern region. The film shows their cheekiness, character and the depth of their relationship in a charming series of moments. The film ends on a surprising twist when it becomes apparent that the Western girl has secretly removed her lunch from her lunchbox (at home without her mother realizing) in solidarity, respect and connection with her best friend who is fasting during Ramadan.

Cultural / Context information for the jury

During the Ramadan period, the Muslim world follows 30 days of fasting from sunrise to sunset. At schools across the globe today we see integration of multiple faiths and cultures and the relationships between Muslim and non-Muslim children sharing school days, and therefore lunch time, when some are fasting and some are not. In an increasingly connected and aware society our youth are more accepting and united than ever before but it is still rare for non-Muslims to fast in solidarity to their Muslim counterparts. This film shows a surprising story of a young Westerner who wants to join her best friend in observing the fast during school days as a sign of connection and compassion towards her friend’s faith. This is deeply resonant across geographical borders worldwide. We hope in bringing global insight and storytelling together across geographical boundaries in the future.

Tell the jury about the casting process.

The dynamic of the characters is at the very core of this film. Their chemistry was very important and they were cast to work together as friends as well as having their own unique traits to compliment and play off each other. Both actresses had to show independence as strong character’s with lots of personality. We ensured balance between them, and also the Arab girl was cast with the energy, charm of ‘the instigator’ in the film, to subvert any expectation of subdued or demure traditional behaviors. To build rapport between the actors, the girls spent time with each other before the shoot (24-36 hours of social time) which formed a key aspect of the casting. They were taken out for some activities like shopping mall to bond in real life. The casting process created our own shared history! By the time the girls were filmed their camaraderie was authentic.