When a short film begins to travel internationally, you start to see it in a different light. It is still the same film, still the same story and performances and frame-by-frame choices. But the audience around it changes, and suddenly you understand that the work is moving through cultures and contexts far beyond the room where it was first made.

That is what happened with Leylak. What began as a deeply local and intimate story about Yusuf, an immigrant gravedigger in Queens coping with the impact of COVID-19 on his family, found an extraordinary life on the festival circuit. By the time its run was fully underway, the film had earned 22+ international awards and a shortlist position among Top 100 Oscar-qualifying shorts.

A Story That Crossed Borders

The awards came from a wide and impressive range of festivals. Leylak won Best International Fiction Short at the Galway Film Fleadh in Ireland, Best Live Action Short at the Rhode Island International Film Festival, the Kathryn Tucker Windham Storyteller Award at Sidewalk Film Festival, Best Drama at the New York Shorts International Film Festival, Best Short Film in the Pronk Shorts Competition at Leiden International Film Festival in the Netherlands, and Best Narrative Short at the Port Townsend Film Festival.

Those are only some of the honors. What made the run remarkable was not just the trophies, but the breadth of the response. The film connected at HollyShorts, LA Shorts International, Indie Memphis, Nashville, Tirana International, Norwich UK, Tacoma, NewFilmmakers LA, Lone Star, Woods Hole, Sedona International, Newport Beach, Boston, Breckenridge, Maine International, Atlanta, Fargo, Short Shorts Asia, Savannah, San Francisco Indie, Florida Shorts, Indy Shorts International, Fort Lauderdale International, and Sulmonacinema.

Why That Matters

A film can be successful in one territory because it speaks directly to a local audience. It is something else entirely when it keeps connecting across countries and languages. That kind of response suggests the film is reaching something more universal than plot. It is reaching lived experience.

With Leylak, we believe that came from the honesty of the story. Grief is not abstract. Family is not abstract. Immigration is not abstract. The film does not try to explain these things from a distance; it places you inside them. That is why the response felt so meaningful to us. People were not just admiring the craft. They were recognizing themselves, their families, or someone they knew.

The Oscar Shortlist Milestone

Being shortlisted among the Top 100 Oscar-qualifying shorts was another reminder that a small film can have a very large life. Shortlisting is not the same thing as a nomination, and it is important not to confuse the two. But it is still a major sign of visibility, and it placed Leylak in the company of some of the year’s most accomplished shorts.

For us, that recognition was never about prestige for its own sake. It was about knowing the film had reached a level where the industry was paying attention. More importantly, it gave additional visibility to a story about an immigrant family, a story that deserved to be seen as widely as possible.

What the Run Meant to the Team

A long festival run changes a film’s life, but it also changes the team that made it. You spend months, sometimes years, solving problems in relative isolation. Then suddenly the film is out in the world, and people you will never meet are responding to the work with real emotion.

That is a humbling experience. It also reinforced something we have always believed: deeply human stories can travel farther than anyone expects when they are made with care. You do not need to over-explain a feeling for it to land. In fact, restraint often makes it stronger.

Carrying the Lesson Forward

Leylak’s international run reminded us why independent film matters so much. A small team can make something that crosses borders. A specific story from Queens can speak to audiences in Ireland, the Netherlands, Japan, and beyond. And when a film is rooted in empathy, the response can be extraordinary.

We are proud to have been part of that journey. More than anything, we are proud that the film stayed true to itself all the way through.