Private Project

Queer Khalifa

"Queer Khalifa" portrays the story of a hjiabi, Inayat, and her now trans ex, Abdullah, before a forced wedding.

Abdullah feels pressured to confront his fears when he finds out his teenage girlfriend, Inayat, is getting married. Having not seen her for several years after a traumatic separate them, Abdullah hesitates to address the consequence of meeting Inayat as he assumed she could have only become more distant from her past and what, at the time, appeared to be a same-gender relationship.

Unaware that the hijab Inayat now wears is to cover the scar from the traumatic event, Abdullah inflicts his own insecurities onto Inayat's religious appearance. Inayat, who feels abandoned by Abdullah, plays with Abdullah's insecurities and reflects the queerphobia that he's expecting from her. His specific transition experience though, is truly something she has trouble acknowledging.

They run the risk of showing such unloving behaviors to someone they know loves them. But it's time to prove their love is worth fighting for, otherwise Inayat will be off marrying someone who'll never put her before himself.

  • Danial Gondal
    Director
  • Danial Gondal
    Writer
  • Ayesha Saleh
    Key Cast
    "Inayat"
  • Sanam Erfani
    Key Cast
    "Jannat"
  • Asif Shem Alli
    Key Cast
    "Musa"
  • Danial Gondal
    Key Cast
    "Abdullah"
  • Faria Ali
    Key Cast
    "Azaan Imam"
  • Zoha Gondal
    Key Cast
    "Abdullah's Mom"
  • Nasir Gondal
    Key Cast
    "Abdullah's Baba"
  • Saleem Gondal
    Key Cast
    "Nikkah Imam"
  • Yasmeen El-Nagar
    Assistant Director
  • Imran Vasanwala
    Cinematography
  • Jaime Oswaldo Rivera Santana
    Sound Department
  • Gurjeet Kaur
    Hair & Makeup
  • Simbal Karma
    Gaffer
  • Saleem Nasir Gondal
    Production Assistant
  • Carla Thomas
    Wardrobe Consultant
  • Fatima Qureshi
    Music Department
  • Shiraz Qureshi
    Music Department
  • Haris Rafique
    Music Department
  • Danial Gondal
    Music Department
  • Project Type:
    Short
  • Runtime:
    9 minutes 34 seconds
  • Completion Date:
    September 3, 2024
  • Production Budget:
    22,567 USD
  • Country of Origin:
    United States
  • Country of Filming:
    United States
  • Language:
    English
  • Shooting Format:
    Blackmagic Pocket Camera 6K
  • Aspect Ratio:
    !6:9
  • Film Color:
    Color
  • First-time Filmmaker:
    No
  • Student Project:
    No
  • New York Short Film Festival
    New York
    United States
    November 10, 2023
  • Cinemaking International Film Festival
    Dhaka
    Bangladesh
  • Geelong Pride Film Festival
    Geelong
    Australia
    April 18, 2024
  • Color's of Love International Queer Film Festival

    India
    June 22, 2024
  • South Asian Short Film Festival
    Kolkata
    India
  • Everest International Film Festival
    Siliguri
    India
  • Aasha International Film Festival
    Nashik
    India
    February 7, 2024
Distribution Information
  • Open TV
    Distributor
    Country: United States
    Rights: Internet
Director Biography - Danial Gondal

Danial Gondal (he/him) is a first generation Pakistani trans man whose key focus is to tell stories of his heritage through as many cinematic angles as possible. His efforts in screenwriting, directing, editing, and distribution demonstrate a deep interest in furthering not just his own voice, but others' with adjacent experiences.

His screenplay, “Queer Kafir,” was a second rounder in Austin Film Festival and a semifinalist in The Script Lab and Atlanta Film Festival screenplay competitions. His photography has been exhibited in New Women Space and Leslie Lohman Museum of Gay and Lesbian Art.

Danial's most recent directing projects include an experimental documentary short film on an Indian American drag queen, "Lal Batti," and a narrative love story on between a trans man and a hjiabi in "Queer Khalifa." Having been screened in New York, Bangladesh, India, and Australia, "Queer Khalifa" won awards for its screenwriting and production design in festivals around the world.

As an editor, he has worked with Desi Rainbow Parents to produce promotional videos and help secure a grant of $50,000 for the organization. His current entrepreneurial endeavor is a Pakistani streaming service, Joja Entertainment, to platform new Pakistani voices, which placed as a quarterfinalist in the New Venture Showcase Competition at the University of Southern California.

He holds a BFA in Film & Television from New York University Tisch School of the Arts, an MA in Interdisciplinary Studies from New York University Graduate School of Arts and Science and an MSc in Design, Business & Technology from the University of Southern California Iovine and Young Academy.

Add Director Biography
Director Statement

I made "Queer Khalifa" because I wanted to explore a reality where people like me can hope that with a little bit of effort, their love stories can cross the boundaries of cultural pressures. While the film does not reflect my own story, it is specific to my experiences. As such, the representation a queer Muslim life, especially a trans one, does not define the demographics as a whole.

"Queer Khalifa" is meant to inspire compassion for those with backgrounds different from our owns and resilience in our individual journeys.