A girl with glasses rests her cheek on her hand beside a blurred adult

2025 · Short · 4 min

Must We Go Back?

A film by Mohammad Qahees

After the far right wins the Dutch elections, ten-year-old Noor tries to hold on to the safe life her family has built, while the threat of deportation slowly enters their everyday world.

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Synopsis

Arabic, Dutch

Ten-year-old Noor has learned to trust the rhythms of her life in the Netherlands: school, family, familiar rooms, familiar streets.

When a far-right victory makes deportation feel possible again, that safety begins to fracture in small daily moments.

Film stills

Still 01A close-up of a woman's eyes in warm, low light

Still 02A girl writes at a dining table under two lamps, viewed through a dark doorway

Still 04A person carrying a bag walks past a row of illuminated posters at night

Credits

Director of Photography: Gijs ten Den
Production: Abdulrahman Abdulfattah

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