AJMAL
Donation protected
AJMAL is a short film that follows a Middle Eastern refugee family as they attempt to find footing in the United States. Born a gifted runner, Ajmal has joined the local High School Track and Field team, where he is confronted with bigotry and mocked for running barefoot. With Regionals coming up, Ajmal is pressured by his ambitious and authoritarian Coach to win, however Ajmal’s beaten shoes slow down his time significantly. Will Ajmal be able to adapt to these new circumstance, or will he fail to fit into these new shoes?
Themes
Ajmal is a story about integration and assimilation. It poses the questions: How much integration is healthy? How much assimilation is necessary and how much of one’s own culture should one abandon in the pursuit of integration? The movie is about a refugee from the Middle East trying to integrate into US society. The attempted integration is displayed by Ajmal’s trials in joining the local High-school track and field team.
Purpose of the Narrative
I find myself dissuaded by a rise of resistance to the Middle Eastern War Refugees, not just in Germany, but the West as a whole. The reason I want to tell the story of Ajmal is because I find the media currently primarily focuses on the bigger picture. Peace doesn’t sell, only danger and uncertainty do and therefore when the media does decide to report on the individual it is usually the bad cases, which are the minority.
I want to refocus that narrative, help present refugees for who they truly are: Individuals, who seek to integrate but are in need of assistance in this pursuit. I want to emphasize the individual life’s of refugees, whose stories, in my opinion, deserve to be told and heard, especially given the current social, cultural and political climate in the West and the continued displacement of so many families in the Middle East.
Just because the images of the Syrian War and Refugee Camps have disappeared from our television and laptop screens, does not mean the issue has been resolved!
-Justus Wrede (Writer/Director)
Why we need your support!
Your financial support helps us fully realize this film by covering parts of the production costs.
Production costs include the production design of the film. With authenticity being our primary concern a portion of the raised money would be allocated to both Production Design and Location costs, as to ensure that we display the world authentically.
Additionally, some of the funds will be used for cast and crew costs, which includes feeding the crew three meals a day, making sure everyone is hydrated as well as transportation costs.
Lastly, the budget would cover camera costs. With the rise of digital cameras, camera prices have gone down, but they by no means have become cheap. Our goal is to have this film screened competitively at film festivals. In order to achieve this goal, we must invest in camera and lenses that will give the film that final, professional touch. This, of course, comes with a price tag.
Your support means a lot to the entire team behind this project. We believe this is a story that has to be told because of the current socio-political climate in the West. Any amount of financial support, big or small, makes a difference! If you cannot afford to support us financially, telling others about this project is more than any of us could ask for. The goal is to raise awareness for this project by finding the largest audience possible.
We are asking you to assist us in our pursuit of telling this crucial story.
Thank you for your consideration!
Who Are We?
Justus Wrede
Writer/Director
Justus is the writer and director of Ajmal. Born in Frankfurt (Germany), Justus grew up in Paris (France), Tokyo (Japan) and Frankfurt (Germany). For college Justus decided to apply to Emerson College in Boston and peruse the Bachelor of Fine Arts degree the college has to offer. In the past two years he has directed four short films and is currently in production for his thesis project Ajmal.
Jake Mitchell
Director of Photography
A recipient of the Congressional Black Caucus’s Visual Arts scholarship in 2015, Jake Mitchell is currently pursuing a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Visual Media Studies at the prestigious Emerson College in Boston, Massachusetts. He has studied extensively under his mentor Producer Ryan Hartsock and worked on his film, Everyday Yeti, which screened at Cannes and won the 2015 Nashville 48 Hour Film Project. Most recently, Mitchell won the 2016 “Outstanding Cinematic Achievement” award for his film, Zoo at Emerson’s Evvy Awards.
Serina Curtis
Producer
Serina Bailiff Curtis is a Junior at Emerson. She is majoring in Video Media Production with a focus in Film Producing and a minor in Entrepreneurship. She hopes to take the skills she has gained in school and put them towards a career in Independent Film production and one day hopes to open her own production company or film festival.
Themes
Ajmal is a story about integration and assimilation. It poses the questions: How much integration is healthy? How much assimilation is necessary and how much of one’s own culture should one abandon in the pursuit of integration? The movie is about a refugee from the Middle East trying to integrate into US society. The attempted integration is displayed by Ajmal’s trials in joining the local High-school track and field team.
Purpose of the Narrative
I find myself dissuaded by a rise of resistance to the Middle Eastern War Refugees, not just in Germany, but the West as a whole. The reason I want to tell the story of Ajmal is because I find the media currently primarily focuses on the bigger picture. Peace doesn’t sell, only danger and uncertainty do and therefore when the media does decide to report on the individual it is usually the bad cases, which are the minority.
I want to refocus that narrative, help present refugees for who they truly are: Individuals, who seek to integrate but are in need of assistance in this pursuit. I want to emphasize the individual life’s of refugees, whose stories, in my opinion, deserve to be told and heard, especially given the current social, cultural and political climate in the West and the continued displacement of so many families in the Middle East.
Just because the images of the Syrian War and Refugee Camps have disappeared from our television and laptop screens, does not mean the issue has been resolved!
-Justus Wrede (Writer/Director)
Why we need your support!
Your financial support helps us fully realize this film by covering parts of the production costs.
Production costs include the production design of the film. With authenticity being our primary concern a portion of the raised money would be allocated to both Production Design and Location costs, as to ensure that we display the world authentically.
Additionally, some of the funds will be used for cast and crew costs, which includes feeding the crew three meals a day, making sure everyone is hydrated as well as transportation costs.
Lastly, the budget would cover camera costs. With the rise of digital cameras, camera prices have gone down, but they by no means have become cheap. Our goal is to have this film screened competitively at film festivals. In order to achieve this goal, we must invest in camera and lenses that will give the film that final, professional touch. This, of course, comes with a price tag.
Your support means a lot to the entire team behind this project. We believe this is a story that has to be told because of the current socio-political climate in the West. Any amount of financial support, big or small, makes a difference! If you cannot afford to support us financially, telling others about this project is more than any of us could ask for. The goal is to raise awareness for this project by finding the largest audience possible.
We are asking you to assist us in our pursuit of telling this crucial story.
Thank you for your consideration!
Who Are We?
Justus Wrede
Writer/Director
Justus is the writer and director of Ajmal. Born in Frankfurt (Germany), Justus grew up in Paris (France), Tokyo (Japan) and Frankfurt (Germany). For college Justus decided to apply to Emerson College in Boston and peruse the Bachelor of Fine Arts degree the college has to offer. In the past two years he has directed four short films and is currently in production for his thesis project Ajmal.Jake Mitchell
Director of Photography
A recipient of the Congressional Black Caucus’s Visual Arts scholarship in 2015, Jake Mitchell is currently pursuing a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Visual Media Studies at the prestigious Emerson College in Boston, Massachusetts. He has studied extensively under his mentor Producer Ryan Hartsock and worked on his film, Everyday Yeti, which screened at Cannes and won the 2015 Nashville 48 Hour Film Project. Most recently, Mitchell won the 2016 “Outstanding Cinematic Achievement” award for his film, Zoo at Emerson’s Evvy Awards.Serina Curtis
Producer
Serina Bailiff Curtis is a Junior at Emerson. She is majoring in Video Media Production with a focus in Film Producing and a minor in Entrepreneurship. She hopes to take the skills she has gained in school and put them towards a career in Independent Film production and one day hopes to open her own production company or film festival.