One Day This Kid

Inspired by David Wojnarowicz's ''Untitled (One Day This Kid...)'', this short drama won the 2025 Iris Prize and the Jury Prize at SXSW and is currently being considered for the For Your Consideration campaign for Best Live Action Short Film at the Academy Awards. The screenwriter and director is Alexander Farah and the main cast includes Massey Ahmar, Roohafza Hazrat and Aydin Malekooti.

This film centers on the life of Hamed, an Afghan Canadian living in Canada and it follows him as he develops from early childhood to an adult. The main subject is his homosexualtiy, how he begins to perceive himself as a homosexual and proceeds to live his life. However, as time has gone by, he seems to have been estranged from his disapproving father.

This short is not narrative-focused. The screenplay consists of many brief scenes, all of which are presented in chronological order, beginning with Hamed as a little boy, before moving to his teen years and eventually his adult years. There is hardly a narrative, instead the film observes him as he gradually comes to terms with his homosexuality and as he deals with his father's disapproval. There is no non-diegetic music and to a significant degree, the film does not rely much on spoken words in order to explore Hamed's emotions. The fact that it ends on a sort of cliffhanger might be disappointing to some as a proper conclusion would had probably added more depth, making the film more meaningful.

On the surface, Hamed is a simple person, having a happy childhood, playing with friends,socialising and attending religious ceremonies. However, deep down he is a troubled character, an individual who discovers that he is gay and conceals it in order to avoid the consequences. Quiely discovering his homosexuality through the years, he becomes an adult who finds happiness with accepting who he is. His father is the character who represents the condemnation that he fears if his homosexuality was to be brought to light.

This film concerns self-discovery, family, religion, parenting, romance and coming-of-age. Primarily, it addresses homosexuality and more specifically, the forbiddenness of this characteristic in countries such as Afghanistan.

This is a moving and thought-provoking story with great performances. It should probably not be acknowledged mostly as a story but rather as an exploration of the themes mentioned above.