The Orphans' Lake
Salem Ballal, 66′, Morocco – QATAR
Between loss and silence, fishermen on the shores of Orphans’ Lake weave stories of belonging and resistance, celebrating life in isolation, with the sea as a witness to their loyalty.
Biography:
Salem Ballal is a Moroccan filmmaker, producer, and writer born in 1981 in Tan-Tan, southern Morocco. A graduate of Sahara Lab, he holds a Professional Bachelor’s Degree in Theatre Studies and a Master’s Degree in Aesthetic Education and Arts and Culture Management.
His work explores themes of memory, identity, and marginalized communities through a poetic and immersive documentary approach. He directed his first feature-length documentary, The Summer Puck, which received international acclaim and won several prestigious awards, including the FIPRESCI Prize at the 23rd Ismailia International Film Festival for Documentary and Short Films in Egypt and the Best First Work Award at the 27th Tetouan Mediterranean Film Festival in 2022.
No Life on Mars
Mohamed Chawky, 61′, UK, 2026
The film “No life on Mars” tells the story of five dreamers – displaced individuals from Eritrea and Sudan – whose lives unfold across three countries: Sudan, Kenya, and Spain. Through an intimate and profoundly human narrative, the film moves beyond political narratives to reveal resilience in the face of conflict and exile. While acknowledging hardship and displacement, the film ultimately becomes a story of hope, dignity, inspiration, and the journey toward healing and rebuilding a future.
Biography:
Mohamed Chawky is an Egyptian director and producer with over 20 years of experience in cinema, television, and advertising. A graduate of the Academy of Cinema Arts and Technology in Cairo, he has worked across a wide spectrum of visual storytelling — from award-winning short films to major TV productions and commercial campaigns.
Al oeste, en Zapata
David Bim, 84′, Cuba, Spain, 2025
In a constant cycle of survival and separation, a man has to go to extreme lengths in the Zapata swamp to provide for his wife and son.
Biography:
David Bim (born 1991) leads a Chair at the International Film School of Cuba (EICTV) and the residency program for feature film development FICCLAB. Over six years, he researched and filmed his debut feature documentary “To The West, In Zapata” which won Best WIP Doc at ParisDoc.
Sons of the dessert
Thijs Borsten, 37′, Netherlands, 2025
In this musical documentary, filmmaker Thijs travels with desert-rock band Tarwa N Tiniri from Ouarzazate into the Sahara to deliver aid to drought-stricken nomads. As urbanized Amazigh musicians whose parents sacrificed their traditional nomadic lives for city opportunities, the band members embark on a historical journey to support their roots, honor their heritage, and preserve their cultural dignity.
Biography:
Thijs Borsten, son of an opera singer, grew up with music as a natural part of life. After studying as an Improvising Musician at the Sweelinck Conservatorium, he developed into a versatile pianist, composer, arranger, producer, theater maker, and filmmaker. His work has taken him from concert halls to festivals both at home and abroad.
Thijs brings people together, seeks new connections, and creates stage productions that surprise, deepen, and push boundaries. His work is widely appreciated for its originality, impact, and human warmth.
GOD'S MEN
Ikram Azfoud, 15′, Morocco,2026
Set in the province of Essaouira, Baraka Rijal Allah captures one of Morocco’s oldest spiritual festivals: the annual Regraga pilgrimage. Combining illustrative storytelling of the seven Amazigh men who brought divine blessing (baraka) from Mecca with vivid live footage, the documentary follows pilgrims across sacred zawiyas, vibrant markets, and the thunderous energy of Tbourida as thousands gather seeking healing, heritage, and holy grace.
Biography:
Born on December 10, 2004, in the culturally vibrant cradle of Essaouira, Ikram Azfoud is a rising Moroccan filmmaker whose creative sensibility is deeply rooted in the artistic diversity of her homeland. After obtaining her baccalaureate, she refined her visual language at the National School of Art and Design in Mohammedia, where she completed two years of rigorous artistic training.
I Wanted To Hear Your Voice
James Pellerito, 12′, United States, 2025
After eight years of caring for his mother with severe dementia, a son struggles through their daily care routine. Recorded voicemails serve to show the progression of the disease, underscoring the frustration, isolation and burnout that comes with intensive caregiving.
Biography :
Born and raised in Italy, James Pellerito holds an MFA in Film from the Columbia University School of the Arts. His work has screened at over 200 festivals worldwide (including Berlin, Outfest, NewFest, Frameline, Hot Docs, Full Frame, DOC NYC, AFI Docs and BFI Flare), won over thirty awards, aired on HBO Latino, Sundance TV, Logo TV, and PBS America, and been reviewed in Variety, The New York Times, Entertainment Weekly, Los Angeles Times and The Hollywood Reporter.
Notes From Planet Three
Simon Ellis, 13’40”, UK,2025
A boy shares the science of our solar system with his two year-old sister, as documentary scenes of the night sky collide with social media conspiracies. One generation embracing science while another throws it away.
Biography:
Simon’s films have won the International Jury Prize at Sundance, Best Short Film at the BIFAs, and BAFTA and European Academy Award nominations. Working in fiction, animation, hybrid documentary and interactive, his work has been presented collectively in dedicated retrospective shows at many international film festivals.
52 is a Machine
Gregorio Sassoli, Alejandro Cifuentes, 15’39”, Italy,2025
Vincent, a middle-aged Nigerian man, gets up every morning at six and meticulously cleans the sidewalks of Grottarossa, a residential neighborhood in Rome. With the money he collects from begging, he buys himself a hot meal and his favorite beer. But what past does this charismatic man, marked by alcoholism, hide?
Biography:
Gregorio Sassoli: Born in Bologna, Gregorio graduated in Film from NYU’s Tisch School of the Arts. He has worked as an assistant on films by Paolo Sorrentino, Woody Allen, and Roger Spottiswoode. His films The Wisdom Tooth, Il Provino, and Saint Damian have received awards at international festivals. His film Saint Damian (Festa del Cinema di Roma, 2024) entered the top 10 of the Italian box office in 2025.
Alejandro Cifuentes: With a background in informational writing and storytelling, Alejandro collaborated with the TV production company Stand by Me. He wrote the short film Il Provino (2022) and wrote and directed Saint Damian (2023), both well received internationally. His feature film Saint Damian (Festa del Cinema di Roma – 2024) entered the top 10 of the Italian box office in 2025.
Guardian of the Well
Bentley Brown, Tahir Ben Mahamat Zene, 5′, UAE, 2025
Amid a historic drought in the southern reaches of Chad’s Sahara Desert, a well-goer recalls his lost cattle and contemplates his plans for a change in livelihood.
Biography:
Bentley Brown is an artist-scholar whose films have revolved around the subjects of global mobility, disidentification, and belonging, such as ‘Oustaz’ (2016) and ‘Revolution From Afar’ (2020). In recent times, however, he has transitioned to projects with scientific explorations, such as ‘Behind the Sun’ (2023) and its exploration of astrophysical metaphors to make sense of a broken relationship with person and place.
Tahir Mahamat Zene is an Ati-based nonprofit professional with film and theatre experience in the areas of community-building and societal issues. He previously collaborated with Bentley Brown and Abakar Chene Massar on Le Pèlerin de Camp Nou (IFFR 2010). This is Tahir’s first film to co-direct and produce.
Mal Qaroun
Mohanad Diab, 7, Egypt
On the shores of Lake Qaroun in Fayoum, Egypt, environmental
degradation is more than an ecological crisis. It threatens livelihoods, destabilizes households and can push families into debt.
Mal Qaroun explores the relationship between the lake, the people
whose lives depend on it, and the social consequences of ecological change. The film connects environmental justice with human dignity, revealing how the fate of a landscape can become the fate of a family.
Biography:
Mohanad Diab is an Egyptian documentary filmmaker, art critic and international visual documentation expert. He has directed more than 100 documentaries and short films, with nearly 50 awards and honors. He previously served as Visual Documentation Advisor to Egypt’s Ministry of Social Solidarity and has worked with international organizations on human-centered development storytelling.
Ain Al-Sabeen
Mohammed Al-Ghafri, 11′, Oman, 2025
Ain Al-Sabeen is a journey through the events that unfolded over seventy years in the life of Uncle Abdullah Al-Saqri. We traverse the paths of the past and present, delving into moments of struggle and peace. It’s a story that carries profound lessons of resilience and strength, inspiring us through the depth of experiences and the power of determination.
Biography:
Mohammed Al-Ghafri, a photographer and filmmaker from Oman, studying photography at the University of Technology in Muscat. I enjoy integrating human elements and profound stories into my artistic work. I focus on presenting innovative concepts by building artistic shooting locations and capturing ideas that reflect psychological and emotional dimensions. I have participated in various projects, ranging from documentaries highlighting unique characters like baristas and fishermen to promoting Oman’s culture through my lens. I possess the ability to use colors and space to convey emotions and deliver impactful visual messages.
Free Fish
Bisan Owda, 22′, Palestine , 2025
Filmed in Gaza during intense bombardment, Free Fish follows two displaced brothers, Mohammad and Ahmad, who risk their lives daily to fish from militarized, blockaded shores. Joined by Mohammad’s grieving nephew Rami, the family turns to the sea not just to survive famine, but as a quiet act of resistance, connection, and memory in the face of ongoing devastation.
Biography:
Bisan is a 26 – years – old Palestinian filmmaker and director, currently based in Gaza, who has been documenting daily life in Gaza for five years. Bisan produced a television and social media program that documented all areas of the Gaza Strip before it’s destruction, in addition to many cultural and heritage topics, called “Hakawatiya.” She worked as a producer with Jordan’s Roya TV before the genocide, and worked with Al Jazeera as a short documentaries producer during the genocide. She also worked with Al Arabiya TV to produce a series of 15-minute short documentaries.
Last Tropics
Thanasis Trouboukis, 20’, Greece, 2025
As an aquatic malady threatens their forgotten coastal village, three young fishermen resort to illegal dynamite fishing.
Biography:
Thanasis Trouboukis explores cinema on the fluid border between fiction and documentary. His work questions memory, reality, dreams and the ambiguity between them. He is a graduate of Le Fresnoy – Studio national des arts contemporains in France. His short films have been selected by numerous festivals, among them Oberhausen ISFF, Sarajevo FF, Palm Springs IFF, Hong Kong IFF, CPH:DOX, Vienna Shorts, Encounters FF and Montréal Festival du Nouveau Cinéma. He is currently developing his feature-length directorial debut, supported by Greek Film Centre (GFC), Onassis Culture and Centre national du cinéma et de l’image animée (CNC).