BALANCEA SHORT FILM

WRITER & DIRECTOR

Mazin Harb

LOGLINE

Ahmed is a Palestinian refugee who has come to Europe to escape the war. His journey to find balance in his new life takes an interesting turn when he meets a local boy, Christoff

Romance/Drama

SYNOPSIS

Ahmed, a Palestinian refugee, left his family to board a ship for a better life in Europe. The journey he takes is one more mentally taxing than it is physically since Ahmed now has to adjust to his life in Germany not only as a refugee, but also as someone who is learning to cope with his sexuality. Meeting many new people along the way and forming new relationships, Ahmed learns a new meaning to theword "family" and how a single interaction can start something life changing As he begins to learn how to balance not only his transition into his new life but also his feelings, a local boy named Christoff is brought into the fray and things begin to develop differently than what Ahmed expected.

DIRECTORS STATEMENT

During such a stressing time to be on this Earth there are only a few moments during which we can enjoy that which matters most to us. In these moments we must ask ourselves why we make the decisions we do, first for ourselves then for those around us, and if those choices will help us achieve balance in life and love. I feel as though this film is one that deals with these issues directly, but not in a way that has been done on a mainstream screen before. Balance is a story of a boy who is unlike the millions of refugees throughout the world but instead he is like a smaller group of them who have to deal with a shifting landscape physically around them and within themselves trying to understand their sexuality. As a gay Arab-American man I have a deeper understand of the culture these refugees come from and the stresses of having to hide your true identity in a homeland where you aren't accepted. Through my experiences in life abroad and a first hand idea of what it is like to feel alone amongst millions, I will bring this story to the screen with all the emotion it deserves.

AHMED

Ahmed is a twenty year old Palestinian boy how has been given a chance to leave his war torn country and emigrateto Germany for the chance of a new life. This is the first time in his life he will finally be able to consciously take his feelings into account, especially when a boy named Christoff comes into his life.

CHRISTOFF

. Christoff is a twenty-one year old government worker at the immigration center that Ahmed has been processed through. He is a local Berlin boy who is much more outgoing aware of his sexuality than Ahmed but equally as awkward when it comes to coming to terms with how he feels about Ahmed.

AESTHETIC VISION

AESTHETIC VISION AND MINOR CINEMATIC REFERENCES

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