Our Males and Females

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Our Males and Females
Our Males and Females Poster without Laurels.jpg
Film Poster
Directed by Ahmad Alyaseer
Written by
  • Rana Alyaseer
  • Ahmad Alyaseer
Produced by
  • Mais Salman
  • Ahmad Alyaseer
Starring
  • Kamel El Basha
  • Shafiqa Al Tal
CinematographySamer Nimri
Edited byAbdallah Sada
Music byPhilip Hashweh
Release date
  • 19 January 2023 (2023-01-19)
Running time
11 minutes
Country Jordan
LanguageArabic

Our Males and Females is a short film from Jordan directed by Ahmad Alyaseer. [1] It was written by Rana Alyaseer and Ahmad Alyaseer and produced by Mais Salman and Ahmad Alyaseer. [2] The film explores themes of gender identity, societal expectations, and the complexity of human relationships. [3]

Contents

The film has won notable awards including Best Narrative Short film at the 54th Nashville Film Festival making it eligible for the Academy Award for Best Live Action Short Film. [4]

Plot

A set of parents are faced with the painful task of washing and shrouding their deceased transgender daughter. Shrouding is an Islamic religious practice that is deemed obligatory to carry out upon death. But when no one agrees to wash her and shame falls onto the family, how far is the father willing to go to make sure his "son" is washed? [5] [6]

Cast

Release

Our Males and Females had its world premiere on January 19, 2023, at Slamdance Film Festival. [7] A week after, it had its European premiere at Clermont-Ferrand International Short Film Festival where it was part of the international competition. [8] Following that, the film had a strong festival run and it was selected for 17 Oscar Qualifying Film Festivals. [9] [10]

Reception

Our Males and Females has garnered widespread acclaim from film critics. It has been reviewed and rated by Brian Penn of UK Film Review, [11] Bobby Lepire from Film Threat, [12] Matt Fagerholm of RogerEbert [1] and Steve Kopian of Unseen Films. [13]

Despite its short duration, the film has attracted comments by several media and other film reviewers. [14] [15] [16] The Film Verdict media stated that the film is a work of resounding emotion that extends beyond its microcosmic scenario. [17] [18]

Production

The film was self-funded in Jordan by the director. [19] The film was banned by censorship from many Arab countries. [20]

Awards

The film has officially been selected for 160 film festivals in around 47 countries and has received 124 awards, [21] including:

YearCeremonyAward/CategoryStatus
2023 Nashville Film Festival [4] Best Narrative ShortWon
2023 Odense International Film Festival [22] H. C. Andersen Award for Best Short FilmNominated
2023 Palm Springs International ShortFest [23] Best Live Action Under 15 MinutesNominated
Best LGBTQ+ ShortNominated
2023 Clermont-Ferrand International Short Film Festival [8] Grand PrixNominated
2023 Oldenburg Film Festival [24] Jury Special MentionWon
2023 Dallas International Film Festival [25] Audience Award for Best Short FilmWon
Jury Special PrizeWon
2023 Iris Prize Iris PrizeNominated
2023Short Shorts Film Festival & Asia [26] George Lucas AwardNominated
2023 La Guarimba International Film Festival [27] Best Fiction Short FilmWon
2023Athens International Film and Video Festival [28] Best Narrative ShortNominated
2023Boston Short Film Festival [29] Best Narrative Short FilmWon
Best LGBTQ+Won
2023 Cleveland International Film Festival [30] Best Live Action Short FilmNominated
2023 Florida Film Festival [31] Best Narrative ShortNominated
2023 Slamdance Film Festival [7] Best Narrative ShortNominated
2023International Short Film Festival Psarokokalo [32] Best Film with Emphasis on DiversityWon
2023 Tirana International Film Festival [33] Best Fiction Short Film Nominated
2023 FEST New Directors/New Films Festival [34] Silver LynxNominated
2023Maremetraggio International ShorTS Film Festival [35] Audience AwardWon
2023 Indy Shorts International Film Festival [1] Narrative Short Nominated
2023Oslo/Fusion International Film Festival [36] Best Short FilmWon
2023 Regard: Saguenay International Short Film Festival [37] Parallel CompetitionNominated
Short & Queer AwardNominated
2023BRUKIVKA International Film Festival [38] Jury PrizeWon
Union of the Ukrainian Film Critics PrizeWon
2023Cordillera International Film Festival [39] Best of Festival - Short FilmNominated
Best Director Short FilmNominated
Best International Short FilmNominated
Best LGBTQIA+ AwardWon

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