Experiencing Interruptions?

Jahannam

A victim of administrative detention, a detainee goes on a hunger strike after being separated from his daughter and incarcerated without trial or charge.

Inspired by recent cases, "Jahannam" tackles the issue of administrative detention and it's practice to imprison thousands for lengthy periods of time. The film also explores the use of hunger strikes by detainees as a form of protest, and how the prison system punishes such resistance.

  • Hamza Pool
    Writer / Director
    Magpie (winner of the Evcom FOCUS Award)
  • Elena Queally
    Producer
    Set PA on "Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker" (2019), Production Runner on "Anatomy of a Scandal" (2021)
  • Daisy Ward
    Producer
    Producer of "Sweet Changeling" (2019)
  • Ana Castanedo
    Production Designer
    Production Design on "Liberté" (2020)
  • Lorene Desportes
    Cinematographer
  • Ai He
    Costume Designer
  • Hamza Pool
    Editor
  • Tyrone Smith
    Editor
  • Ramzi Dehani
    Key Cast
    "The Prisoner"
  • Syed Masood
    Key Cast
    "The Warden"
  • Damian Schedler Cruz
    Key Cast
    "The Boy"
  • Annie Wallin
    Key Cast
    "The Daughter"
  • Project Type:
    Short, Student
  • Runtime:
    12 minutes
  • Completion Date:
    January 7, 2021
  • Production Budget:
    2,800 GBP
  • Country of Origin:
    United Kingdom
  • Country of Filming:
    United Kingdom
  • Language:
    English
  • Shooting Format:
    Digital (Sony FS7)
  • Aspect Ratio:
    2.35 : 1
  • Film Color:
    Color
  • First-time Filmmaker:
    No
  • Student Project:
    Yes - London College of Communication (UAL)
Director Biography

Hamza Pool is an award-winning filmmaker with 6+ years of experience. Having worked on music videos and branded content, his true passion is narrative filmmaking.

As someone who has been influenced by various genres and national cinemas, he constantly experiments with different genre and narrative techniques, while maintaining a sense of drama and social commentary; constant throughout his directorial work. His films address political and social issues, with a strong emphasis on the disenfranchised, and those under systems of oppression.

He won the Evcom FOCUS Award 2020 for his short film Magpie. Along with writing and directing Jahannam, Hamza also co-edited and composed the films score.

Add Director Biography
Director Statement

For as long as I’ve been aware of administrative detention, I have wanted to make a film, whether narrative or documentary, on the topic. With administrative detention being representative of a larger issue; the effects legal systems have on the disenfranchised, I felt the topic was urgent. Along with it being completely ignored by news outlets, I saw an opportunity to expose audience to an issue that they may not be aware of. And so when it came time to make my final film at university, one that would have a bigger budget than my previous shorts, I knew what the topic of the film would be, and that I would have more resources to do it justice than I had before.

Growing up in a low-income household and as Muslim a POC, I have faced oppression; racially, religiously, and economically. And so many of my films come from a desire to shed light on issues of oppression and race that are either underreported, or ignored outright. Jahannam is the latest in my body of work to do this.