AFMI Creators presents: ALYA
Title: ALYA
Written & Directed by Yara Melki
Country: Lebanon
Year: 2026
Runtime: 18 minutes
Language: Arabic, Subtitles English
Genre: Drama / Coming-of-Age
AFMI Creators is an initiative designed to support Arab and Arab-American filmmakers and film projects that advance AFMI’s mission.
Synopsis
In Mount Lebanon, sixteen-year-old Alya comes of age under her mother’s unyielding gaze and the judgment of those around her. Her first love awakens a longing for freedom, but an unexpected pregnancy exposes the limits of a world where reputation defines worth. Left to navigate the consequences with little knowledge or support, Alya is pushed beyond the innocence of childhood and into an unforgiving reality.
Director Statement
I grew up in Lebanon in a society where reputation often shapes a young woman’s future before she has the chance to define it herself. Alya comes from observing that quiet tension, the space between who a girl is expected to be and who she is becoming.
I was interested in portraying adolescence not as rebellion, but as confusion and contradiction. Alya is neither a victim nor a symbol, she is simply a teenager experiencing desire, fear, and curiosity within a world that watches closely and judges quickly. The film explores how love, shame, and protection can become intertwined, particularly within the relationship between a mother and daughter.
Rather than telling a political story directly, I wanted the film to remain intimate and observational, following one girl whose experience echoes beyond Lebanon. Through Alya, I hope audiences recognize something familiar beyond geography: the fragile moment when childhood ends, and the choices we make begin to shape how we are seen by others, and by ourselves.
– Yara Melki
Yara Melki
Writer/Director
Yara Melki is a Lebanese filmmaker based in London and an NYU Tisch graduate. Her films explore the complexities of womanhood and Arab identity, often telling nuanced stories that cross borders. She has directed several short films, including her latest, Alya, shot in her home country of Lebanon. Alongside directing, Yara produces internationally with past projects made in Lebanon, Brazil, and the U.S., building a body of work that bridges cultures and perspectives.
Credits
Key Cast
Alya: Joya Jabbour
Marwan: Bilal Al Hamwi
Mother: Betty Taoutel
CCrew
Writer & Director — Yara Melki
Producers — Farah Sawli, Yara Melki, Phoebe Yung
Director of Photography — Cece Chan
Production Designer — Karim Abi Zeid
Editor — Adriana Guevara, Composer — Shih-Meng Ching, Costume Designer , Hair & Makeup — Riwa Mhanna, 1st Assistant Director — Hussein Ramadan, Intimacy Coordinator — Sondos Shabayek, Sound Designers — Anusha Allamsetty, Rudi Abi Hanna, Colorist — Zach Chalmers
Credits
Key Cast
Alya: Joya Jabbour
Marwan: Bilal Al Hamwi
Mother: Betty Taoutel
CCrew
Writer & Director — Yara Melki
Producers — Farah Sawli, Yara Melki, Phoebe Yung
Director of Photography — Cece Chan
Production Designer — Karim Abi Zeid
Editor — Adriana Guevara, Composer — Shih-Meng Ching, Costume Designer , Hair & Makeup — Riwa Mhanna, 1st Assistant Director — Hussein Ramadan, Intimacy Coordinator — Sondos Shabayek, Sound Designers — Anusha Allamsetty, Rudi Abi Hanna, Colorist — Zach Chalmers
Awards
First Run Film Festival — 2026
General Competition – New York, USA
King Screenwriting Award
Nestor Almendros Award for Cinematography
Carl Lerner Award for Social Significance
Achievement in Acting for Joya Jabbour
King Award Finalist
Festivals and Recognition
Odense International Film Festival (OFF) — 2026
International Competition — Denmark
Amman International Film Festival – Awal Film — 2026
Arab Short Film Competition — Jordan
Beirut International Women Film Festival — 2026
Lebanese Short Film Competition – Lebanon
First Run Film Festival — 2026
General Competition – New York, USA
Morocco Shorts International Film Festival — 2026
International Short Fiction Film Competition – Rabat, Morocco
