''Sun" the Weight of Memory - Graduation Animation Film

Hi, I am Ahlam Khawam, a visual storyteller and animation artist passionate about visualizing inner worlds and introducing a different perspective through meaningful stories.

My work often focuses on themes of emotion, psychology, and the surreal—especially within cultural and social constraints.

For my graduation project, I am making and directing my short film named "Sun – The Weight of Memory," a poetic animation film. It revolves around oppression from cultural and familial expectations, and their effects beyond. However, though these experiences may push someone to rebel and take action, they remain as a mark on the skin, shaping their future relationships with those who once opposed them.

Through creating the film, I want the spectator not just to become aware, but to empathize—to acknowledge and identify with the emotions I am raising through the film. Ultimately, it is about giving voice to those who may otherwise remain unheard.

The film explores what it means to carry grief, navigate repression, and find a quiet path toward liberation.

This project is deeply personal. It reflects not only the stories I grew up around, but the ones many still live in. I’ve chosen a minimal, expressionist visual style with powerful emotional sound design. Every element—from the music to the metaphors—is crafted to make the viewer feel what can’t be said out loud.

With your support, I hope to complete this film and share it with festivals and platforms where unheard voices worldwide—especially women from the Middle East—deserve to be seen and felt.

Thank you for helping me bring Amal’s story into the light.