2020/2021 Winners & Shortlists

Write a short summary of what happens in the film

Faris is an autistic child whose mother and father are completely oblivious of his struggles and challenges, attributing his symptoms to natural developmental delays. The film features a day in Faris’ life from his perspective where the mother’s neighbors and their kids are visiting. Faris is exceptionally subjected to external stimuli that lead to a burst and fit of shouting and crying. His mother does what she usually does and pacifies him, only for one of the neighbors to come over and confronts her with the reality of the situation.

Cultural / Context information for the jury

Autism is a prevalent mental disorder in the gulf region, and families usually live in denial and tend to shy away from early diagnosis of mental disorders due to the social stigma surrounding it. Gulf women also usually tend to push their kids to play with the children of their friends and consider it a form of offence to the parents of other kids if their kids do not agree to play with them.