Director: Amaal Mustafa

Synopsis: “mother/land” is a visual poem and dance piece that critiques and questions the problematic discourse between a first generation immigrant and their parents, specifically the mother, and the so-called motherland. Narrated by Ingrid Safranek alongside a volatile dance performed by Demetries Morrow and featuring music by Iranian-born DJ Ash Koosha, the project channels and taps into an intersection of stateless antipathy, a letter once forgotten and the rejection of an unwanted home as it builds towards an abattoir of cinematic decomposition — yet with what seems like hope.

Bio: Amaal Mustafa is a cinematographer based in Brooklyn.

Program: Between Fashion and Music – VAEFF 2021