Jihad, a 17-year-old boy, lives with his loving parents and younger sister, Sham in Syria. His dream since he was a child was to attend college and become an architect. The film starts by giving us a look into Jihad’s daily life and his interactions with his family. One evening, while Jihad’s parents are out, Jihad is working on his homework, when Sham interrupts asking him to play hide-and-seek with her. After begging him a couple of times, he finally agrees. Jihad starts counting while Sham runs to hide in another room in the house. An airstrike hits the house leaving Jihad with the heavy pain of the loss his sister, Sham. As Jihad is recovering in a civil hospital, he has no time to grieve or make a decision; when the family is forced to flee the country to find refuge.

Characters:
JIHAD is a young Middle Eastern male living with his family in a lower-middle-class neighborhood in Syria. He loves education and dreams of one day becoming an architect. He’s fraught with trauma and grief when an airstrike hits home and tragically kills his little sister, Sham. With no time to grieve, Jihad and his family are forced to flee the life he’s always known.

SHAM is a young Middle Eastern girl living with her family in a lower-middle-class neighborhood in Syria. She is extremely playful and loves to spend time with her family, especially her older brother, Jihad.

FAIROUZ is a middle-aged Middle Eastern woman living with her family in Syria. She is a loving mother to her two young children, Jihad and Sham. When tragedy hits her family, she will have to make a grave sacrifice.

NABEEL is a middle-aged Middle Eastern man living with his family in Syria. He is a loving father to his two children, Jihad and Sham. When tragedy hits his family, he will have to make a grave sacrifice.

CAMERA PERSON is a videographer/camera person capturing the horrific aftermath of the airstrike in a civil hospital.

TRAFFICKER is a middle-aged man distributing passes in exchange for money at the border.

SYRIAN REFUGEES are approaching the border with items/belongings.
OTHER MINOR ROLES include (2) Doctors, (1) Nurse, (2) Refugee Man, (2) Woman, (1) 7-8 y/o Girl, (1) Trafficker Helper, (2) Teenagers, (1) Rescuer

SUBMISSION INSTRUCTIONS:
ALL SPEAKING ROLES MUST BE ARABIC SPEAKERS. THOSE APPLYING FOR “SYRIAN REFUGEES” & OTHER MINOR ROLES are NOT limited to the language requirement.

TO SUBMIT: PLEASE SEND YOUR NAME, REPRESENTATION CONTACT INFO, IF ANY & REEL/HEADSHOTS TO jihadfilm2019@gmail.com. PLACE “CASTING” IN THE SUBJECT LINE