Farah | Feature Script

FARAH

Feature Screenplay

FARAH is a feature-length indie drama about an 11-year-old Muslim girl who accidentally shoots someone in the forest with a BB gun and gets accused of being a terrorist by her fifth-grade class.

The story was inspired by a real-life event that happened to someone I know. When he was a boy, he accidentally shot an old woman with a BB gun. He apologized and there were no further consequences. I thought about that story in light of how different the outcome would be for a person of colour. And so FARAH was born.

Like many other young girls, Farah wants to be popular. Unfortunately, being a book-nerd, Bollywood-loving, string-bean looking, Muslim girl with no swag does not impress the cool kids. When she gets assigned to tutoring the class clown, FARAH sees her chance to raise her status. Pete’s a prankster, but he’s super popular.

Unfortunately, his favourite pastime is shooting BB guns and FARAH has terrible aim. When Pete goads her into target shooting in the forest, she accidentally hits a jogger—grazed more like. The jogger is fine. 

Afraid of getting in trouble himself, Pete tells everyone it was FARAH’s idea. 

The lie snowballs from two kids goofing around in the woods to FARAH being a terrorist-in-training. A post on the school blog leads to a scrum of reporters on her front lawn. FARAH goes from being ignored to being the most talked-about girl in school, online, in the news,  and among the local Muslim community. But this is not the kind of popularity she dreamed of.

FARAH was developed with the support of Women in the Director’s Chair: WIDC Story & Leadership.

 

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Contact Sandi Gisbert