Jordan submits Zain Duraie's debut film Sink for 2027 Oscars
Jordan has chosen Zain Duraie's first feature, Sink, as its entry for the Best International Feature Film category at the 2027 Academy Awards. The drama follows a mother, Nadia (Clara Khoury), as she grapples with her teenage son Basil's (Mohammad Nizar) worsening mental health. The selection highlights a shift toward personal stories in Arab cinema, according to the filmmaker.
Key facts
- Zain Duraie graduated from the Toronto Film School and previously directed two short films, Horizon and Give Up the Ghost.
- Her short Give Up the Ghost was screened at the Venice Film Festival in 2019.
- Duraie says international funding often favors familiar conflict narratives, making personal subjects harder to finance.
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Why it matters
It marks a rare focus on intimate mental‑health narratives from the region at the Oscars.
What changed
First published from The National