
Nikhail Asnani
2021Santa Claus in Baghdad
Raouf Zaki
Tamara Dhia, Nora Armani
In impoverished Baghdad under Saddam's dictatorship, 16-year-old Amal hopes to regain her social status at school by volunteering to find a book as a class gift for the departing literature teacher. Meanwhile, her emotionally fragile little brother becomes obsessed with the notion that a visiting uncle from America--whom he confuses with Santa Claus--will bring him toys. Ashamed never to have been able to give his son a toy, the child's father sells some more prized family possessions and buys a model car for him.
Santa Claus in Baghdad
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Nikhail Asnani
Andrea settles in at an Airbnb out of town, to record coachwhip snake sounds. Once in the woods, she hears a strange gagging who she soon discovers is her Airbnb host. It's part of her process. Intrigued, she gets obsessed with the sound which leads to a terrifying climax.
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