SINK

Jordan, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, France  I 2025 I Arabic dialogue with English subtitles l 87 min

ABOUT FILM

Jordanian director Zain Duraie makes a remarkable mark on the international cinematic landscape with her feature film Sink, which had its world premiere in the Discovery section at the 50th edition of the Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF) in 2025 — one of the most important global platforms for emerging cinematic voices. Since its premiere, the film has received notable critical attention, confirming Duraie’s emergence as a sensitive and contemporary filmmaking voice.

The film centers on mental health and family dynamics, telling the story of a mother struggling to cope with her teenage son’s psychological breakdown amid family silence, avoidance, and fear of acknowledgment. Sink does not treat the crisis as a loud dramatic event, but rather as a cumulative state that forms in the silences, in what remains unspoken, and in the small gestures that reveal the depth of emotional fracture.

What distinguishes the film is its intimate and restrained approach to a highly sensitive subject, avoiding exploitation or direct explanation. Zain Duraie employs an economical visual language and a deliberate pace that gives the characters full space to breathe, making silence a central narrative element. Clara Khoury delivers a deeply human performance as the mother, embodying suffering through subtle details rather than overt emotional display.

Following its Toronto premiere, Sink continued its festival journey with its Arab premiere at the Red Sea International Film Festival, screenings at the Mannheim–Heidelberg International Film Festival, and its African premiere at the Carthage Film Festival. In Mannheim–Heidelberg, the film received the Ecumenical Award, in recognition of its human depth and moral sensitivity.

Notably, Sink received development support in 2018 from the Malmö Arab Film Days Fund through a grant provided by the Swedish Film Institute — early support that contributed to shaping the project and now comes full circle with the film’s screening at the Malmö Arab Film Festival. Zain Duraie was also selected for Berlinale Talents 2024, and was named among Screen Daily’s “Arab Stars of Tomorrow,” further affirming her rising international profile.

At the Malmö Arab Film Festival, Sink offers a moving and honest cinematic experience, opening space for dialogue about mental health within the Arab family and reaffirming cinema’s ability to address silent wounds through a profound human language.