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IF BIRDS BELIEVED IN GOD

WRITTEN & DIRECTED BY

SAMER SAIFAN

2025 - Drama (20 Min)

MADE IN ASSOCIATION WITH NEW YORK UNIVERSITY

TISCH SCHOOL OF THE ARTS

A Palestinian man strives to be a photographer in New York City, but experiences surreal psychological visions as he struggles with generational trauma.

The story follows a day in the life of Ismail, a Palestinian photographer whose American upbringing was shaped by his grandfather’s displacement during the 1948 Palestine Nakba. When Ismail’s mother gifts him his grandfather’s keffiyeh—a traditional Palestinian scarf—it triggers an internal struggle between shame and pride in his cultural identity, all unfolding against the ominous backdrop of rising violence against Palestinians.

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WRITTEN AND DIRECTED BY

SAMER SAIFAN

DARREN ZENG

PRODUCED BY

NATALIA HESS

DIRECTOR OF PHOTOGRAPHY

ANDREW LIN

SAMER SAIFAN

ADAM BUDRON

NASSER FARIS

VERACITY BUTCHER

JADE ZIANE

LEYLA MODIRZADEH

EYAS ELKHATEEB

RON FALLICA

MARTIN PFEFFERKORN

Ismail

Muhammad

Leila

Khalid

Farha

Young Boy

Interviewer

Man on Street

CAST:

NIDA FARHOUD

ADAM BUDRON

SABINA MASCHI

MAYA ALZABEN

DONG HUIMIN

ANDREW DAHREDDINE

AVA SEXTON

BLAKE HARDY

Assistant Director:

Co Producer:

Script Supervisor:

Production Designer:

Art Assistant:

Casting:

SFX Make Up:

Ismail Costume Designer:

HUGO BOUCARD

KELLY WANG

HIPPOLYTE CHARLUT

MARLO IRANI

VINCENT LE CHAFFOTEC

ROMAIN MENEGON

THIBAULT LEBOEUF

SIYU REN

1st Assistant Camera:

2nd Assistant Camera:

Gaffer:

Key Grip:

Grips:

Original Music Score:

Color:

Re-Recording Mixer:

Editor:

CANKAT GUENEL

JEFFERSON ROSA

OTAR BREGVADZE

SAMER SAIFAN

JENNIFER FANG

AMINA HAMAWY

Sound Mixer:

DAVID ROSFELD

HAFEZ & ADALAH HAFEZ

NIDAL & AMANI BARAKAT

THAER & FATEN MAHMOUD

RIEL LEWIS

JONATHAN SILVERMAN

Boom Operator:

Special Thanks to:

JACOB DEAN

ROY GE

ANDREA NGUYEN

OLIVIA HART

KELLY WANG

Truck Driver:

Bird Wrangler:

Animal Safety Rep:

BTS Photos:

This film was made possible through the assistance of a grant from the Chris Columbus Film Production Fund and produced at New York University, Tisch School of the Arts, Maurice Kanbar Institute of Film and Television.