Private Project

When We Listen

sometimes all we need to make us move forward in our lives to make us handle our own pain is to someone listen to us.

Amal is a Syrian refugee who needs someone to listen to her pain, to make her move forward in her life.

When We Listen is a 15-minute short film, showing the everyday struggle of Amal, a 20-year-old Syrian female who does not speak English. After losing all her family and being forced to leave the life she once knew, Amal sought refuge in Canada seeking safety, a chance to live again, and finding a place that she could once again call home

  • Amr MOUSTAFA
    Director
  • Amr Moustafa
    Writer
  • Red Deer College
    Producer
  • Amr Moustafa
    Producer
  • Hazem Kamha
    composer
  • Garrett W. Hall
    1ST AD
  • Kassidee Campbell
    Key Cast
  • Amelia Seaton-Segura
    Key Cast
  • Mikayla Howard
    Key Cast
  • Sam Quinn
    Key Cast
  • Trysten Luck
    Key Cast
  • Amr Moustafa
    Key Cast
  • Amanda Dziwenko
    cinematographer
  • Kris Kuhn
    steadicam op
  • Marcelo Vilhena
    Camera Operator
  • Kim Beaulieu
    Art Director
  • Sam Burns
    Sound recordist
  • Alex Falk
    Sound recordist
  • Mette van Klaveren
    Script supervisor
  • Amr Moustafa
    Editor
  • Mikayla Howard
    Producer Assistant
  • Project Type:
    Short
  • Runtime:
    15 minutes
  • Completion Date:
    April 28, 2017
  • Production Budget:
    5,000 USD
  • Country of Origin:
    Canada
  • Country of Filming:
    Canada
  • Language:
    English
  • Shooting Format:
    digital
  • Aspect Ratio:
    1.8
  • Film Color:
    Black & White and Color
  • First-time Filmmaker:
    Yes
  • Student Project:
    Yes
  • WorldFest-Houston International Independent Film and Video Festival
    Houston
    United States
    April 29, 2018
    Gold Remi Award
  • Rochester International Film Festival
    New York
    United States
    December 11, 2017
    Award of Merit
  • San Francisco Frozen Film Festival (SFFFF)
    San Francisco
    United States
    July 20, 2018
    Best Student Director
  • Beyond Earth Film Festival
    Chennai
    India
    December 23, 2018
    Best Social Short Film
  • International Festival of Cinema Faqih bin Saleh
    Fquih Ben Salah
    Morocco
    February 4, 2019
    Best Film, The Grand Prize
  • Yosemite film festival.
    California
    United States
    October 29, 2017
    award of Honorable Mention
  • Canada Shorts - Canadian & International Short Film Fest.
    Saint John, New Brunswick
    Canada
    Award of Merit
  • International Festival of Cinema Faqih bin Saleh
    Faqih bin Saleh
    Morocco
    February 7, 2019
    Best Actress
  • Yes! Let's Make a Movie Film Festival
    Montréal, Québec
    Canada
    July 29, 2018
    HONORABLE MENTION
  • International Independent Film Festival 2017.
    Encino CA,
    United States
    Silver winning, Student film
  • Best Short Film Festival. La Jolla,
    San Diego, California
    United States
    Award of Recognition, best student film
  • Chicago International Movies and Music Festival (CIMMfest)
    Chicago
    United States
    November 12, 2017
    Finalist
  • STIFF
    San Mauro Torinese
    Italy
    May 23, 2018
    Semi Finalist
  • Madrid International Film Festival
    Madrid
    Spain
    July 22, 2018
    official selection
  • Salento International Film Festiva
    Lecce
    Italy
    September 1, 2018
    official selection
  • Golden Knight Malta International Film Festival
    Marsa
    Malta
    November 28, 2017
    official selection
  • Hollywood International Moving Pictures Film Festival HIMPFF
    Hollywood Blvd Los Angeles, CA
    United States
    Semi Finalist
  • Cape Town International film festival
    Cape Town
    South Africa
    October 12, 2017
    official selection
  • Caminhos Film Festival
    Coimbra
    Portugal
    November 27, 2017
    official selection
  • FFF , Fargo Film Festival
    North Dakota
    United States
    March 20, 2018
    Official Selection
  • International Film Festival of Peloponnesus "Bridges". Greece.
    Peloponnesus
    Greece
    October 15, 2017
    official selection
  • River Film Festival
    Padova
    Italy
    June 30, 2018
    official selection
  • Cyprus International Film Festival
    Pafos
    Cyprus
    June 23, 2018
    official selection
  • Beyond Earth Film Festival
    Chennai
    India
    December 23, 2018
    Semi-finalist
  • Central Alberta Film Festival. CAFF
    Red Deer
    Canada
    February 23, 2018
    official selection
  • The International Moving Film Festival
    Abadan, Khuzestan
    Iran, Islamic Republic of
    November 8, 2019
    Semi-Finalist
  • Crossroads Film Festival
    Jackson, Mississippi
    United States
    April 21, 2018
    Official selection
  • International Film Festival of Nafplio, Greece
    Nafplio
    Greece
    Official Selection
  • Nice Film Market
    Nice
    France
    May 9, 2019
    official selection
  • YES! Let's Make a Movie Film Festival
    Montreal, Québec
    Canada
    July 15, 2018
    Official Selection
  • Cefalù film festival
    Cefalù, Palermo
    Italy
    May 1, 2018
    official selection
  • "TOO DRUNK TO WATCH" Punkfilmfest Berlin
    Berlin
    Germany
    April 11, 2018
  • Edmonton short film festival
    Edmonton
    Canada
    October 15, 2017
    official selection
  • CITYFLIX International Film Festival
    Toronto
    Canada
    November 25, 2017
    official selection
  • Universal Film Festival Inc
    Kansas City, Missouri
    United States
    August 24, 2018
    Official selection
  • International Festival of Cinema Faqih bin Saleh
    Faqih bin Saleh
    Morocco
    February 7, 2019
    Official Selection
  • Frozen Film Festival
    San Francisco
    United States
    July 18, 2018
    official selection
  • San Francisco International New Concept Film Festival 2017
    San Francisco
    United States
    official selection
  • Geneva Film Festival
    Geneva, Illinois
    United States
    March 8, 2018
    official selection
  • The Best Shorts Competition
    California
    United States
    official selection
  • Winchester short film festival England, UK
    Winchester
    United Kingdom
    long list selection
  • SHORT to the Point
    Bucharest
    Romania
    September 23, 2017
    Official selection
  • Mozi Motion Film Festival
    Hilversum, North Holland
    Netherlands
    October 5, 2019
    Official Selection
Director Biography - Amr MOUSTAFA

Amr was born in Alexandria, Egypt. A mixture of Egyptian, Greek, and Turkish blood fused by Alexandria’s Air and Sea created his formula to be an Artist.
It came as no surprise to his parents when he wrote his first story booklet “for kids” at age 6, and wrote his first play for school theater at age 8.With a bachelor degree in Art from Alexandria University, he started his career as writer and director.

standing for your right to make his dreams come true, he established his production company “Camelot”, however, the reality was dark. Since art needed a freedom to grow, he fought for his country beside millions of Egyptians, to free Egypt from the dictator’s darkness and bring the brightness of the democracy back.

After his fight in the second Egyptian Revolution in 2013, when his country was on the right path to freedom, he moved to Canada for one reason: to learn. Now he is an MPA student at RDC with lots of passion for learning. As the old adage goes “It Is Never Too Late.”

Add Director Biography
Director Statement

It's warm my heart when the Audience think Amal is real :)
even though I wrote the film and watched it hundreds of time while editing it but this film makes me cry every time I watch the end of it.
The film was shot in 5 days with a month time frame due to the waiting of the actress to give birth to her cute baby.