STILLNESS - 2026
2026 · 2m · UAE
Directed by Omar Almahri
Genres: documentary, experimental
Tones: contemplative
A lyrical 16mm meditation on stillness and shared identity across the Gulf states.
Picked by Margot
The scouts
112 seconds of 16mm Gulf-states pan-Arab unity — a mood reel with a thesis tacked on. Pretty, perfumed, more brand film than short film.
Almahri's 16mm Arabic-typography meditation across the Gulf states under Studio Haraka is the precise lineage of John Akomfrah and Kahlil Joseph — formal poetry as cultural cartography. Under two minutes, but every second of that runtime is considered.
Shot on 16mm with Arabic typography integrated into the image (by Latifa.designer), score and sound by Louis.mp3, colored by Lucas Bergamini at Cora Post — at 1:53, every craft choice is showcased. Pan-Gulf identity essay film via Nemrah/Studio Haraka has real curatorial weight.