A point-of-view feature documentary following my personal journey through the Middle East in the legendary, 4,000 year-old footsteps of Abraham, seeking the common roots of the Jewish and Muslim peoples.
Currently in development – for more information, please contact the director: adam.shamash@gmail.com
A short documentary recently completed for the non-profit org Masar Ibrahim (a.k.a. Abraham’s Path Initiative) in Palestine.
Born in Amman, Jordan to a poor but spirited family of Palestinian refugees, Afnan Ahmad Abdallah is an exceptionally gifted 15 year-old: she knows 4 languages, and her brightness at school has won the admiration of her teachers and peers alike. She speaks about her life’s ambitions and dream to study at university, and to create greater understanding and support for her people.
This short video was directed by Afnan and completed for UNRWA’s (United Nations Relief and Works Agency) 2011 film competition for young Palestine refugees. Technical assistance and mentorship by Adam Shamash.
A multi-award-winning short documentary on a colourful restaurant owner who immigrated from the deserts of West Africa to Montreal, Canada’s vibrant Mile-End neighbourhood- his stories, humour, and community. Winner of Best Film and Best Director awards at Air Canada’s enRoute Student Film Fest 2010 out of 250 competitors.
‘The Dervish of Parc Ex’ is a harrowing true story of despair and human transcendence. When Hassan Jabli left his traditional homeland of Morocco some 30 years ago for Montreal, Canada, he was a free-spirited, adventurous young man; but through a series of reckless decisions and personal misfortunes, he descended into a lifestyle of hard drug and alcohol abuse. For years he drifted towards the margin of society becoming homeless and untouchable, until a brutal accident in the metro left Hassan devastated, on the verge of death…
After months in a coma, Hassan miraculously re-awoke to life, yet found himself forever changed: in the metro accident his body had been crushed, and severe brain damage had caused a mental regression that left him infant-like. Effectively disabled, Hassan would painstakingly relearn even life’s basics: eating, toilet, walking, speaking. Yet as he underwent the struggle for rehabilitation over the coming years, he could have scarcely dreamt of the dynamic and spirited community of Muslim immigrants he was about to encounter that would help him to rediscover his place in life.
Where the Dervish of Parc Ex begins as a cautionary tale, it develops into a deeply poignant meditation on the nature of destiny and the beauty of being alive- recounted by a man who, in the midst of utter hopelessness, became witness to the miraculous.