SYNOPSIS

A British-Pakistani tourist struggles to mend his broken heart. After a sudden breakup with his girlfriend he finds himself lost and isolated in the foreign city of Granada, Spain.

It’s only when he befriends a group of young international students that he starts to push himself out of his comfort-zone. From the Easter Processions, Moorish influences and Flamenco Gypsies he immerses himself in the many cultures that inhabit the city.

With his new foreign friends, he enrols on a Spanish class, moves into their apartment and tries to restart his life. But behind every corner is a reminder of his ex-girlfriend and his struggle to find closure.

Why is it important to hold a screening event?

• COVID-19 outbreak has caused schools and universities to close and Erasmus students have returned home with many not knowing when and if they can resume their studies. Certain programmes are closed until 2021 and international student numbers will drop significantly as students will be hesitant in enrolling on a study abroad programme.

• BEXIT threatens the movement of students and although ERASMUS+ is still active many of the real values of working together with our European partners have been forgotten and buried through acts of division and fear that have been created.

• Rise of the Far Right has caused fear over certain communities and there is a lack of tolerance and understanding of different cultures and what it means to be a young foreigner living in a foreign country. By opening the film out to a wider community we remind people to share in our similarities whilst celebrating our differences.

Our Partners

We have been supported by ESN (Erasmus Student Network) who promoted our crowdfunding campaign: https://esn.org/news/granada-nights-study-abroad-film

as well as Filmosofia School and ESN Granada helping us with the production of the film and Centro de Lenguas Modernas by allowing us to shoot documentary footage and film scenes in the lanuage school. https://www.esngranada.org/news/granada-nights-movie-esn-granada

Contact Details

Thank you for taking the time to consider our proposal.

If you like to view scenes from the film or discuss further please contact us on abid@eyefivefilms.com or +44 7766765956

GRANADA NIGHTS EDUCATIONAL

Our proposal is to create an event around the conversation of “study abroad” with an exclusive private screening of the feature film GRANADA NIGHTS. The movie is scheduled for cinemas in 2021 but we want to give exclusive screenings to Universities first as we believe in the value and impact it can give to your students.

Granada Nights is a self-discovery feature film about the study abroad experience in Spain. A fictional movie with documentary elements that captures the rights of passage of a typical international student; from adapting to a foreign country, culture and language, to developing friendships with other foreigners and finding a sense of belonging.

I believe that the film that I have created serves as an asset that could compliment your existing resources in giving potential students the visceral and emotional connection with the experience of living and learning overseas that can only be achieved through the medium of film. I firmly believe that by working together, we can further promote this worthwhile activity and more students will go on to reap the benefits of everything it has to offer.

How to set up a screening event

There are many options when it comes to licensing and screening the movie but we believe that an event that builds a conversation around “study abroad” is more attractive and beneficial to students and our shared goals.

A screening event can be followed by Q&A sessions or panel discussions with ex-students, your study-abroad/Erasmus department, faculty members and representatives from ESN (Erasmus Student Network). It’s important that we use the screenings to to create a dialogue with students, to support and encourage them especially in these times.

Covid-19 and social distancing may mean that your University may move online from September onwards. In such cases we provide an online streaming link to students followed by a live debate is a great way to encourage and support students whilst at home and build a dialogue to foster a better understanding of the landscape of studying abroad in 2020-2021.

We’re planning screenings from September 2020 onwards. To discuss possibilities please contact abid@eyefivefilms.com to discuss further.

Filmmaker and Actor Q&As

The director Abid Khan and cast including Antonio Aakeel, have presented dozens of screenings of Granada Nights, from festivals and to private events around the world.

Having the filmmaker and actors at your screening gives your students the opportunity to connect with Abid and hear the story of how a young student turned filmmaker journey on a fifteen year quest to make a singular feature film based on his study abroad experience. See the directors statement below for a more details.

Director’s statement

In 2005, I decided to enrol on a Spanish Language course at Centro de Lenguas Modernas in Granada, Spain. I never had a chance to study abroad while I was at University and so this opportunity gave me the opportunity to immerse myself in a new culture and new language. My experience surprised me as it was the friendships with Erasmus students that had a profound effect on me. I discovered a sense of belonging and became part of an extended international family. These friendships and our shared experience in a foreign culture, changed our lives.

I wanted to capture the real authentic Erasmus experience. Many movies about teenagers abroad were over the top and superficial and I wanted to focus more on the ‘cultural’ student and the real issues that affect students like identity, adapting to a foreign culture and friendships with other foreigners.