DRAMA 2026
He doesn't sleep
Drama | Duration 01:20:00 | Director | Reza Jamali (Iran)
Fazaeil is a 65-year-old man who lives in a border village. He lost his ability of sleeping in the war and has not been able to sleep for years. Most of the villagers are trying to find a solution for his insomnia, but not sleeping hasprovided an opportunity for him to help his fellow men without any,expectations, so he encounters incidents.
Director Biography
Born in Ardebil, Iran in 1978, Reza Jamali is a filmmaking graduate. After making a number of short films, presented and awarded at national and international film festivals. Jamali directed his debut feature film, OLD MEN NEVER DIE, which brought him the Spirits of Asia Award at Tokyo IFF and entered international festival circuits. A CHILDLESS
VILLAGE is his second feature film. Like the movie Old Men Never Die, the film "A Childless Village" has won many international awards, including Red Sea International Film Festival (December 2022 – KSA) , Yusr Award for the Best Screenplay.
Participation in Critics Pick Competition Tallinn Black Nights International Film Festival – POFF (November 2022 – Estonia) …, Reza Jamali has produced his 3rd Feature Film Titled “FAZAEIL” in 2024.
FEATURE FILMS :
Old Men Never Die ; 2019
Childless Village , 2022
He Doesn’t Sleep 2025
Director Statement
Human beings are members of a whole, in creation of one essence and soul. If one member is afflicted with pain, Other members uneasy will remain,
This Poem belongs to one of the famous Iranian poets named Saadi, which praises help of people to each other in confront of difficulties and problems. If an individual has a sense of compassion and sympathy, he will try his best to help others, even if that person is from a different ethnicity and race.
Guardian of the Field
Drama |Duration 01:44:06 | Director | Narges Elahi (Iran)
A little girl in a small village vanishes. A wildlife guard, Ahmad Piran asks the residents of the village to help find the little girl but...
Pendulum Drift
Drama | Duration 01:31:09 | Director | Shehzad Afzal (United Kingdom)
"One Night. One Guard. A Conveyor Belt of Desperadoes."
Set over one restless night, Pendulum Drift is a gritty portrait that follows a lone security guard navigating a kaleidoscope of strange encounters. Shot over five nights, this quietly surreal film unveils stark isolation clashing with brooding desperation—a high-stakes blend of tense realism and absurdity, told with minimalism and impact.
"Pendulum Drift" delivers Cassavetes' grit in neon-drenched Glasgow concrete. A night security guard faces a rotating cast of midnight desperadoes invading his watch — no heroes, no redemption arcs, just raw talk and thick tension that feels stolen from life.
Think 'Killing of a Chinese Bookie' if Ben Gazzara swapped Vegas for rainy Scottish industrial decay. 91 minutes. Portugal Indie Film Fest: BEST ORIGINAL SCORE (son’s hand-played requiem piano). Selected for screening at the Portugal Indie Film Fest in Autumn/Winter 2026 for the Portuguese Premiere
Shot in 5 consecutive nights (18th - 22nd April) during the 2010 Eyjafjallajökull volcano shutdown. 4:1 shooting ratio. Self-funded through British Army service (age 48).
"Haunting. Unforgiving. The kind of film that lingers." – Portugal International Jury.
Programming Fit:
- Cassavetes DNA for your World Premiere sidebar
- Nightmare Alley neo-noir atmosphere, your arthouse crowd craves
- Volcano-proof production story programmers love to champion
Screeners/trailers/press kit: FilmFreeway Link
Full EPK + hi-res assets: Private Press Area on website/email info@filmedup.com for access
Director Biography
"When I made this film, I knew my personal journey was as much a part of the art as the film itself. That's why I created a press kit that isn't just about marketing; it's a vulnerable and honest artifact of what it took to get here. It's a departure from the typical, polished narratives of success, and I believe that makes it a significant piece of film history. I think a festival that chooses to program 'Pendulum Drift' isn't just screening a movie; they're making a historic discovery", Shehzad Afzal.
Shehzad Afzal is a visionary Scottish filmmaker of South Asian–Pakistani heritage whose work is marked by raw realism, emotional depth, and fearless innovation. A singular, interdisciplinary force, Afzal’s unconventional journey has taken him from decades in IT and the British Army Reserves to a self-sustaining creative practice rooted in resilience and necessity.
A graduate of Screen Academy Scotland with an MA with Distinction and recipient of the prestigious Edinburgh Napier Class Medal, Shehzad’s dedication to bold, boundary-pushing storytelling earned him the Sir Sean Connery Trailblazer Award at the Edinburgh International Film Festival and a nomination for Innovator of the Year (2025). His military service has been recognized with the Queen Elizabeth II Platinum Jubilee Medal.
Shehzad’s films consistently explore human struggle in emotionally and psychologically charged arenas, with a DIY ethos driving the production and an unyielding commitment to untold stories. From the social drama The Full 10 Yards (Best Short, Fairport Film Festival) and the finalist Satyajit Ray Award documentary Bo Kata, to his latest feature, Pendulum Drift, Afzal’s art springs from the margins—crafted independently, often in solitude, and brought to life through personal sacrifice and a fiercely honest vision.
Shehzad’s style is actor-driven, improvisational, and minimal, influenced by Cassavetes, Lumet, Hitchcock, and Lucas. He’s a director, writer, producer, editor, cinematographer, and game designer, channeling a “renaissance soul” energy into the digital age. He believes the most potent cinema is born from adversity and that true art thrives in the periphery. Pendulum Drift—completed after 15 years of relentless persistence—is the culmination of his unwavering will to create, a testament to the enduring spirit of independent filmmaking.
Director Statement
I created Pendulum Drift as a cinematic portrait of colonial decay, using a new film language called Pendulum Cinema to explore how the past continues to haunt the present. The film oscillates between the raw realities of neorealism, the political critique of Third Cinema, and the a-temporal experience of the Deleuzian time-image. This is pure cinema off a cliff edge.
Pendulum Drift was forged in total isolation, outside every system, through sheer will over 15 relentless years. I am a minority within a minority—a Scottish filmmaker of South Asian–Pakistani heritage, —who remortgaged my home, joined the British Army Reserves at 47 to fund this film, and turned every “no” into fuel to complete this journey.
There were no grants, industry cosigns, or safety nets—just resolve, long nights, and the unwavering conviction that stories from the margins must be told.
The film was shot over five fevered nights as Iceland’s volcano halted Europe, echoing my eruption after years of creative isolation. My creative partner and son, Shaahan, composed the music as urgently and honestly as the story was made: in a single, unbroken emotional take.
Pendulum Drift is my answer to both the isolation forced upon us by circumstance and the resilience demanded by life. Its protagonist, a lone guard battered by waves of humanity through one endless night, mirrors my odyssey battling industry walls, doubt, and silence.
The film’s DNA is minimalist, raw, and improvisational—every frame is a choice for authenticity over artifice, and every moment evidence of what’s possible when you refuse to sit at the margins.
This movie is a testament to the power of pure belief and the necessity of art that comes from the edge. I made it for every artist who dreams in darkness, for every audience hungry for truth, and for my family, who carried me as I carried this story, up the hill of knives, refusing to let go.
The Victorians
Drama | Duration 01:15:00 | Director | Dwight A. Gabbert (Netherlands)
As unsuspecting tourists flood the city of Amsterdam, a band of rogues lies in wait... While Abba fights his obsession with the sadist Danny, his romantically naive brother, Rey, falls for the femme fatale, Faith. Danny enjoys luring tourists into his sadistic web, while Virgil, the deviant hotel owner, is there to pick up the pieces. Alfi, the devious junkie, remains Abba's faithful liege, but the worm might turn if promises of going to Spain are unfulfilled. Their dance falls apart when a cocky American steps on the scene.
Director Biography - Dwight A. Gabbert
Dwight began his film career at Roger Corman Studios in Venice Beach in the early '90s. In 2010, Dwight made his directorial debut with the short film I Love Nancy, which explores one man's obsession with plastic objects and the effects of a synthetic lifestyle. That same year, he co-wrote and co-produced Banana Split, an abstract neo-noir film created in collaboration with Laetitia Miles, delving into themes of abuse, foul play, and the loss of innocence. In 2012, he directed and co-wrote the short film Buzz Smugglers - One More Time, an exploration of a man's struggle with paranoia and reality. Dwight’s latest project, The Victorians (2026), also co-written with Laetitia Miles, marks his directorial debut in feature films.
Producer Biography
After studying archaeology at University College London, Laetitia transitioned into the arts, organizing exhibitions for museums. In 2010, she established herself in film by co-writing, co-directing, and co-producing the short I Love Nancy, followed by the abstract neo-noir Banana Split. In 2012, she produced and co-wrote Buzz Smugglers - One More Time, exploring the intricate relationship between paranoia and reality. Her latest project, The Victorians (2026), which she also co-wrote with Dwight, marks her first feature film as a producer.
FILMMAKERS’ STATEMENT
We are drawn to the stories of unordinary madness—the entrepreneurs who took a wrong turn, the addicts unable to dull the pain, the disenfranchised living by their own moral code. The Victorians are born from this fire.
In our characters, we witness the scars that shape their identities and the moments of clarity that pull them back from the edge. Confronted with uncomfortable truths and the shades of grey in our humanity, we take a ride on the fringe of society, searching for connection, acceptance, and a sense of belonging.
Through The Victorians, we’re reminded that life’s chaos can yield profound beauty, while even the most broken and arrogant among us has the potential for redemption.
Sincerely,
The Victorians.
They Loved Me
Drama-doc | Duration 01:24:00 | Director | Mahmoud Kameli (Iran)
A married couple, who have been together for several years and have an 18-month-old child, discover that their child has a rare disease. After conducting medical tests, they realize that the father's blood does not match the child's, revealing a shocking truth about their past…
Director Biography
Mohammad Reza Rahmani
Born in 1350 (1971)
Bachelor's degree in Literature
Screenwriter, director, and producer
Experience in making forty short films and five feature films
Received approximately forty domestic and international awards
Writer and director of feature films: 1- "Parisa" (2020) 2-They Loved Me" (2024).
Director Statement
Annually, nearly ten thousand children in Iran are born with the intention of being bought and sold. This occurs either through addicted street women or due to parents' financial inability to support them, turning the trade into a business. These children are handed over by human traffickers or smugglers to financially stable individuals who are unable to have children. The easiest and most common way to purchase a newborn is through these dealers.
Tragically, many of these children are born into harsh conditions, often to mothers struggling with addiction. Additionally, there are women who rent out their wombs—offering surrogacy services to families who want a child in exchange for financial compensation after giving birth.
This issue, along with widespread addiction and corruption in our country, became the driving force behind the creation of this film. In fact, the entire story is based on real events.