Night Shift
After the disappearance of her mother, Hawa begins to see haunting apparitions in her workplace.
The story follows two sisters (Muna and Hawa) and their missing mother. Muna faces the search with urgency, while Hawa is more reserved. Throughout the film, liminal spaces are used to reflect their feelings of loss and uncertainty. Hawa’s repressed emotions eventually escape from the frame through the use of surrealism and the appearance of a mysterious pale creature. Night Shift is a film for all the immigrant kids who felt they had to mature early for the sake of their siblings. For myself, the film is a metaphor for this parentification, the absence of clear guidance, and also the act of solidarity between siblings. For the audience, any interpretation goes – but universal feelings of isolation, grief, and the paranormal are explored. This film was made with the support of the Canada Council for the Arts, and was brought to life by the dedication of a small Calgary-based production team. In particular, the detailed work on the practical SFX of our film brings a chilling surprise in the final moments of the film.