Private Project

An Alien (In America)

During a cricket watch party in New York City, Pakistani and Indian twenty-somethings fall into flirtations and feuds as diaspora tensions explode.

  • Abdullah Shahid
    Director
  • Abdullah Shahid
    Writer
  • Amir Moverman
    Producer
  • Martim David Gomes
    Producer
  • Abdullah Shahid
    Key Cast
    "Farhan"
  • Riyan Ali
    Key Cast
    "Ihsan"
  • Isha Gill
    Key Cast
    "Saba"
  • Saisha Talwar
    Key Cast
    "Raveena"
  • Eshaan Pereira
    Key Cast
    "Vedant"
  • Lakshay Goyal
    Key Cast
    "Shayok"
  • Abdullah Yusuf
    Key Cast
  • Taylor Raheem
    Key Cast
    "Imaan"
  • Brian Goodwin
    Associate Producer
  • Ruben Regenass
    Director of Photography
  • Abdullah Shahid
    Editor
  • Mick Bongiovi
    Production Designer
  • Project Type:
    Short, Student
  • Genres:
    Comedy, Drama, Romance
  • Runtime:
    11 minutes 59 seconds
  • Production Budget:
    3,100 USD
  • Country of Origin:
    Pakistan, United States
  • Country of Filming:
    United States
  • Language:
    English, Urdu
  • Shooting Format:
    Digital
  • Film Color:
    Color
  • First-time Filmmaker:
    No
  • Student Project:
    Yes - New York University
  • Digital Cinema Package:
    Unavailable
Director Biography - Abdullah Shahid

Abdullah Shahid is a Pakistani writer-director, editor, and actor working between New York and Pakistan.

He graduated with honors from Pomona College (California) in 2019, where he studied film theory and theatre. He received the Scott Winslow Award in Media Studies and the Virginia Princehouse Allen Prize in Drama for his contributions to both the film and theatre departments. His thesis film has screened internationally.

His short film Catfish premiered at the Oscar-qualifying Tasveer Film Festival in Seattle and had its UK premiere at the Divvy Film Festival in London. Hot Soup had its world premiere at the International South Asian Film Festival (ISAFF) in Canada and was shortlisted for the Busan International Film Festival. Most recently, it won the Audience Choice Award for Best Short at the Rung Film Festival.

Both Catfish and Hot Soup are now streaming on Begin Pakistan.

Abdullah previously worked as a Creative Manager at IAL Saatchi & Saatchi, and spent two years teaching as an IB DP Film Instructor at TNS Beaconhouse in Lahore, Pakistan. He is currently an MFA Candidate at New York University’s Graduate Film program, where he also serves as an Editing Graduate Associate.

He has just completed post-production on his short film An Alien (In America). He is currently in pre-production for Phuppo, scheduled to shoot in Lahore in August 2026, which will serve as a proof of concept for his debut feature film, Dam-E-Zindagi (The Essence), now in development.

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