on 3/4 @ 7:30 PM @friendlystrangersstudios presents…
Opening Short
CHECKPOINT
a short animated film by @jana_kattan@checkpoint_aub
along with our FEATURE PRESENTATION OF
@theacademy award nominated film for
‘Best International Feature’ 2026
The Voice of Hind Rajab
@thevoiceofhindrajabfilm
A film by @kaoutherbenhania
Again, we’ll be showcasing these films on
March 4, 2026 @ 7:30 PM
@cobblehillcinemas
ALL PROCEEDS from ticket sales for this screening will benefit the @palestineredcrescent
SHARE THIS POST w/ everyone in NYC for 3/4!
All funds will go to @palestineredcrescent which provides critical humanitarian, health, and social services to Palestinians, acting as the main emergency medical provider with ambulances, hospitals, and first aid, especially during conflict and crises in the Palestinian Territories.
@thevoiceofhindrajabfilm has now been Nominated for Best International Feature Film at @theacademy awards 2026. The film has also received festival accolades like the Venice Film Festival’s Silver Lion and earning a Golden Globe nomination for Best Foreign Language Film.
#explore #filmnyc #theacademy #animationnyc #arabanimation #thevoiceofhindrajab #palestineredcrescentsociety
‘Checkpoint’
Set in the occupied territory of modern-day Palestine known as the West Bank, Checkpoint follows 11 year old Leila, who wakes up before dawn every morning to try to get to school on time. Her obstacle is the military occupation of her environment – specifically, the notorious checkpoint she must cross every day to get to her school. Despite Leila’s best efforts to prepare, she cannot control the seemingly endless queue, or the strong possibility she will be randomly denied access to the other side.
More information can be found on our website: linked in our bio.
/night/
We’re proud to partner with @checkpoint_aub to present the screening of Checkpoint at the Montreal Palestinian Film Festival.
Join us this Friday, November 8th at McGill University to honor Palestinian voices through art, culture, and film.
Tickets available in bio.
Back in June, I had the honour of recording an episode for my all time favourite podcast: Animator’s Breakfast.
In this episode, Cole and I discuss The Tower, a beautiful animated film about a young Palestinian refugee living in Lebanon. Directed by the incredible @mats.grorud
I also spoke about the film I directed- @checkpoint_aub - and more generally about the occupation, displacement and why storytelling plays an important role in activism. In the context of the atrocities taking place in Gaza and the West Bank right now, the episode is heartbreakingly more relevant.
The full episode is on YouTube and Spotify if you’d like to give it a listen. A link to it is in my bio.
https://youtu.be/-ySgocm-aU0?si=Ufv5q6dpHFoDA6hR
And if you’d like to check out our graduate film, Checkpoint, it is now on YouTube! A link to watch the film is in the bio of the official Instagram page: @checkpoint_aub
https://youtu.be/tBBY6EQe4gk?si=BqQStdBxwMFUFI8N
❤️💚❤️
We are seriously excited to announce that Checkpoint was the winner of the Best Student Film category at TAAFI!
We are extremely honoured to have been chosen out of many other incredible student films 🍊
Thank you @thetaafi - we hope to see you again next year!
#taafi #taafi2022 #winner #beststudentfilm #awards #toronto #shortfilm #animationawards #animation #checkpoint #palestinefilm #freepalestine #occupation
Red Carpet opening night at @thetaafi
Ended as every good night should: on the table 🤩
Catch our interview coming soon, as well as a live screening and q&a on Saturday 🧡
#virtual#metaverse #filmfestivalaward #toronto #taafi #taafi2021 #animation #shortfilm #awards
We’re over the moon to announce that we’ll be screening at Toronto Animation Arts Festival Independent next week!
We’ll be part of a live online Q&A and will be screening in the “college shorts” programme alongside @heartwood_aub , @hiding_aub and @m.a._aub !!
Thank you so much @thetaafi and good luck to everyone!🍊
See you there!
More exciting news!
London Independent Film Festival have selected Checkpoint for a live screening this April at @genesiscinema !
The London Independent Film Festival (LIFF) is devoted to the advancement of first- and second-time filmmakers telling amazing stories with limited budgets. Hosted every spring at the Genesis cinema – repeatedly voted the best cinema in the UK – the 2022 London Independent Film Festival will screen the work of almost 100 filmmakers from around the world. It’s little wonder that Time Out Magazine has called LIFF “a treasure trove of undiscovered cinematic gems, one of Europe’s top indie film fests”.
A link to purchase tickets will be made available soon!
Thank you so much @londoniff , we can’t wait to see you there 🧡
Very exciting news!
We’ve been selected to screen at Cardiff Animation Festival in April 2022! We’ll be part of the REEL/LIFE category, and will be screening alongside some incredible other shorts including @suburb_aub .
Held at Chapter, the Welsh capital’s vibrant arts hub, CAF will provide a brand new focal point for Cardiff’s thriving animation community, and a meeting place for industry, independent animators and enthusiasts from the wider animation world. CAF will provide a new platform in Wales for the best of British and international animation, and will welcome independent filmmakers, exciting new talent and established industry greats to Europe’s youngest capital city.
Thank you so much @cardiffanimfest for the wonderful opportunity 🧡
So excited to announce that Checkpoint has been chosen to be shown at Children’s Film Festival Seattle!
Our film will be included as part of ‘Borders, Boundaries and Home’.
“This collection of films explores stories of immigration, migration, and separation. These kids show us the resilience it takes to grow up in an uncertain world.”
Thank you very much @childrensfilmfestivalseattle
🧡🧡🧡
This just in…
Checkpoint has won the Bronze Best International prize at Los Angeles Animation Festival!
We wished we could’ve attended the Awards Night on December 4th, but are so pleased to have won a prize! Honoured to have been selected alongside an incredible selection of short films, including Affairs of the Art by Joanna Quinn and Bad Seeds by Claude Cloutier 🏆
LAAF is LA’s only International Animation Festival and is the leading international animation festival in the USA. Since it’s start in 2007, it has been dedicated to helping indie and student filmmakers.
Thank you so much Miles and John @laafest 🧡
Checkpoint has received an Honorable Mention at Florence Film Awards @florencefilmawards !
Florence Film Awards is an international monthly film festival and the first ever monthly film festival in Tuscany. Each month the Jury will award the best films through private screenings.
The list of the award-winning projects can be found on the festival website.
And big congratulations to our friends at @heartwood_aub for winning Best Animation!!
#florence #tuscany #florencefilmawards #honourablemention #award #animation #filmawards
