Story

At her father’s funeral, a young woman decides whether to confront a painful truth or bury it with him.

Synopsis

On the day of her father's funeral, a young woman, Noor, conflicted and grieving, grapples with the delivery of her father's eulogy. She has written two versions: one that honours the man many mourners love and know, and the other shedding light on who he was behind closed doors. As her family and friends remind her of moments when he was the devout, loving man they all remember, she feels unsettled by stories that mirror her own memories of warmth and tenderness, forcing her to face the duality of a man she sees as both loving and harmful. Throughout the service, Noor moves between fragments of the present and the past, laughter, care, and dark moments colliding in her mind. When her name is called, Noor must decide which version of her father and herself she is willing to live with.

Director's Statement

I’ve always understood relationships as nuanced, never as something purely good or bad. My life has existed in the grey area, where love and resentment, care and neglect, regret and tenderness can live beside one another. People are not straight lines; they are curves, spirals, and contradictions, shaped by the duality they carry.

I Forgive You is a love letter to my younger self, to the girl who wanted to scream but chose silence, and to anyone who has struggled with conflicting emotions toward someone they love. Through this film, I want to explore what it means to love and hate the same person, and the painful choice between staying silent to keep peace or disrupting it in order to heal.

This story touches on sensitive subject matter, and I do not take that responsibility lightly. I trust myself and my team to approach it with care, grace, and emotional honesty. Beyond Humber, I hope to eventually expand this story into a feature, and directing this short will deepen my understanding of these themes. This project matters because it gives voice to relationships often left unspoken, and I believe it has the power to affect many in a meaningful way.

Donation Impact & Budget Breakdown

The budget for this film will largely go toward securing our church location for the funeral scene, where most of the key story moments take place. This is vital for creating an immersive, intimate atmosphere that enhances the emotional impact of Noor’s story. The location we have secured will cost our team $1,600 for two full days of access. Another key element in fleshing out the film is having enough background actors to create a realistic funeral scene in our intimate church setting. To ensure a comfortable shooting environment for these performers, our main cast, and our crew, our food budget is another essential cost for this film. The rest of our budget is allocated to our art department, transportation costs, and other technical expenses we may incur during this film's production.