AYESHA
Narrative Short I 16 mins I USA, 2022
Writer- Director I Producer I Editor: Ambarien Alqadar
Featuring: Freya Adams, Cameron Scoggins
MFA Thesis Film, Temple University
Synopsis: When a chance encounter between her immigrant father and a U.S. military veteran unsettles the fragile balance of her family, an Indian American Muslim woman must negotiate the conflicting demands of love, loyalty, and belonging. Set between the expectations of home and the promise of adulthood, Ayesha is an intimate coming-of-age unfolding over a day about the unseen ways war, migration, and memory haunt everyday life.
Supported by
Temple University Graduate Thesis Award
Pennsylvania Council for the Arts Grant
Philadelphia Independent Film & Video Award
Awards
Ben Lazaroff Screenwriting Award for Best Original Screenplay, Temple University
Emerging Filmmaker Award, Queens World Film Festival, New York
Best Ensemble Narrative Short Nomination, Queens World Film Festival, New York
Award of Distinction, Canada Shorts Film Festival
Honorable Mention, Experimental Forum
Screenings
New York City South Asian Film Festival
I View World Human Rights Film Festival
Santiago Independent Film Festival
Women of Color Film Festival, MAGIC Spell Studios, New York
New Filmmakers, Anthology Film Archives, New York
Canada Shorts Film Festival
Oil Valley Film Festival
Trenton Film Festival
Queens World Film Festival
Community Engagement Screenings
The American Center India-US Cultural Film Festival
Creative Team
Director of Photography: Marie Hinson
Sound Mix & Design: Girjashanka Vohra
Sound Recording: Iris Devins
Music: Thomas Davis
All Rights Reserved. Copyright 2026 @Ambarien Alqadar