AUS film professor wins Best Documentary Film Award at the New York Shorts International Film Festival

Photo caption: AUS Assistant Professor Mohammed Mamdouh captured alongside the cast of Halal Dreams on the stage at the New York Short Film Festival.

Halal Dreams, the latest short film by American University of Sharjah (AUS) Assistant Professor Mohammed Mamdouh of the College of Architecture, Art and Design (CAAD), has earned the Best Documentary Film Award at the New York Shorts International Film Festival, New York's largest festival for short films, showcasing the best of short filmmaking from around the world. 

In Halal Dreams, Mamdouh tells the story of an Egyptian halal cart worker in New York City, focusing on his struggles with distance from his daughter and his feelings of belonging. The film premiered in New York in November, where it was screened at Cinema Village, a historic independent cinema in Manhattan. It has also been screened at several international film festivals worldwide, including Los Angeles, London and South Korea, and has now received 10 international awards across the USA, Thailand, Italy and Russia.

“Halal Dreams explores what it means to build a life far from home while carrying the weight of responsibility and hope,” said Mamdouh. “The film speaks to the realities of migrant labor;  the distance, and the quiet strength required to endure them. My hope is that it sparks conversations about compassion, justice and the unseen lives around us.”

The recognition of Halal Dreams highlights the strength of AUS’ art, design and film faculty, whose work often sits at the intersection of academia and industry and reflects the university’s commitment to high-quality, practice-driven filmmaking, art and design education.

For more information about film, art or design programs at C