Across stories from Egypt, Nigeria, US, Somalia and Zimbabwe, this short film programme considers what it means to claim space in a world that has already decided where you belong. From a battle over sacred ground and a marriage exposed to public judgement, to a young man returning to a home that struggles to make room for who he has become and the legacy of a Black scientist who broke ground in spaces that had historically excluded him, these films explore the boundaries drawn around us.
Moving across land, family, friendships, community, institutions and the body itself, they consider the many ways we make, take, defend and redefine our place in the world - finding rebellion in both open confrontation and quieter acts of defiance, and in the simple act of knowing ourselves.
Films included:
Zizou
Khaled Moeit | Egypt | France, Qatar | 2026 | Arabic with English subtitles | 19m
Scottish Premiere
Zizou, a 13-year-old overweight boy, sets out to befriend the neighborhood’s most popular kid. However, his relentless attempts leave him vulnerable to unexpected ridicule, stirring unresolved feelings.
Obi Is a Boy
Dika Ofoma | Nigeria | 2025 | Igbo & English with English subtitles | 17m
Scottish Premiere
A femme-presenting young man returns home for his mother’s funeral and is forced to navigate the violence and gender expectations that have shaped his fractured relationship with his father and his place in the community.
Glass Bricks
Simone Holland | US | 2026 | English | 10m
UK Premiere
Deconstructing what it means to be a man, Glass Bricks challenges the outward presentation of gender conformity through self-expression. Giving us a peak behind the curtain, Finessa Jawn walks us through the process of what it takes to get into drag.
Buckskin
Mars Verrone | US | 2026 | English | 12m
Scottish Premiere
An experimental portrait of the filmmaker’s grandfather: Carroll B. Williams Jr., a ground-breaking African-American forester, reflecting on his work and legacy in the twilight of his life.
Whispers of a Burning Scent
Mo Harawe | Somalia, Austria, Germany | Somali with English subtitles | 28m
Scottish Premiere
On the day of a crucial court hearing, a wedding musician faces his crumbling marriage, his stepchildren’s judgment, and his own guilt. Forced to make a restrained but irreversible decision, the film observes a man whose inner truth remains elusive, caught between devotion, dignity and loss.
God Sleeps On Sundays
Naishe Nyamubaya | Zimbabwe | 2026 | Shona with English subtitles | 18m
Scottish Premiere
James, a Christian preacher who has fallen from grace after a corruption scandal in the city, is assigned to build a new church in a distant rural community. Accompanied by his wife Mavis, he views this as a second chance for himself and his family. However, Chirongoma, a staunch and revered traditional healer already inhabits the land bought by the church.