Prayer

Set in a Lisbon techno club, Abdul, a migrant worker on his very first shift, is mid video call with his wife Aliyah, who is in labor and pleading for his presence, as his new boss Maria urgently demands his assistance. Torn between the pressures of work and the birth of his son, Abdul confronts the fear of losing his job while navigating fatherhood from a distance, and clashes with his stern father-in-law over the right to perform the Adhan for his newborn. Prayer, a film that probes the crossroads of tradition, paternity, and the hardships faced by undocumented workers, draws on the autobiographical story of screenwriter Deo Mahameru. The project originated as a student production within the KinoEyes Joint European Film Masters at Lusofona University in Lisbon.