Introduction

Out of Nowhere is a short film that explores a deeply personal and urgent emotional state, one shaped by living through ongoing instability and conflict in the region we come from.

As filmmakers working between Lebanon, Egypt, and now the UK, we have found that direct language often falls short in expressing this experience. Through this film, we turn to an absurdist and satirical approach, resorting to the soft power of art to reclaim our narrative and capture the emotional reality of it.

My name is Amina Allam, and I am the producer of the film. I am currently pursuing an MA in Filmmaking (Producing Fiction) at Goldsmiths, University of London, alongside director Hadi Ibrahim, a Lebanese filmmaker completing his MA in Filmmaking (Directing Fiction) at the same university.

The project was developed and selected as part of our postgraduate program, following a competitive pitching process within the department.

The Story

After years of resisting it, Rabih, a Lebanese photographer in his late twenties, is finally faced with the decision to leave his country.

His journey begins at a Western airport, where his luggage is flagged for containing multiple bottles of olive oil. He is taken into an interrogation room for further questioning, and what starts as a routine procedure slowly shifts into something more unsettling.

As the dialogue unfolds, the encounter becomes increasingly absurd, invasive, and reductive of Rabih’s identity. Moving between suspicion and misplaced empathy, the officers attempt to make sense of him through familiar and often stereotypical narratives that fail to capture the complexity of who he is.

With no clear resolution in sight and the pressure steadily building, something in Rabih begins to shift, until in a sudden and instinctive moment, he breaks from the situation in a way no one in the room can anticipate.

Why this film?

What makes Out of Nowhere distinct is its approach to its heavy subject matter.

Rather than adopting a purely dramatic tone, the film embraces an absurdist and satirical lens. This reflects not only an artistic choice, but also our lived reality, where humour and irony often become ways of processing situations that feel overwhelming or surreal. Nowadays, this filmmaking approach has become rare, where everything has become heavily politicised and takes more of an intense activist route to addressing such issues.

The film does not aim to explain or instruct, but to evoke a feeling. It engages with themes of identity, home, and belonging, while remaining grounded in an engaging cinematic experience.

At its core, the film explores freedom, not only from external instability, but also from imposed definitions and simplified narratives.

The Team:

Funding strategy:

Funding Goals

University Support

The project has secured £2,950 in university funding, along with in-kind production support valued at approximately £10,000. This support covers several essential technical resources required for the production, including:

Basic student production support such as insurance and consumables

Crowdfunding Support (Core)

The crowdfunding campaign aims to raise to support the remaining core production costs not covered by university support.

These funds will contribute to core requirements such as:

Stretched goals

If the campaign exceeds its initial goal, additional funding will be used to enhance the film’s final quality and distribution:

Rewards

The campaign offers four contribution tiers:

Bronze (£10–£25)

Digital thank-you

Supporter recognition on the campaign page

Silver (£50–£100)

All Bronze rewards

Name listed in the film credits (Supporters section)

Gold (£150+)

All Silver rewards

Invitation to a private screening and Q&A with the filmmakers

Platinum (£300+)

All Gold rewards

Special Thanks credit in the film

behind-the-scenes material

Major Supporters

Individuals interested in supporting the project at a higher level (£2,500 or more) may discuss Executive Producer credit and partnership opportunities with the filmmakers.

Out Nowhere Film Instagram Page

*Share this page on Social media.

*Send it to a friend or a family member who might be down to support this film.

*Like and Comment on the posts about this campaign, interaction boosts the post so the right people can see it.

*We're also open to any other ideas or ways of supporting any of the areas listed in the breakdown like food/transportation/props etc.

Every contribution will help us create a film that is both visually compelling and emotionally authentic.

By supporting Out of Nowhere, you are helping us tell a story that is personal, culturally grounded, and reflective of real experiences.