Content Warning: Discussion of Child Abuse
Don’t be late, Myra, a film by Afia Serana Nathaniel, was recently awarded Best International Short Film at the 2025 DC Independent Film Festival and has seen critical acclaim in the international short film space. Released in October 2024 and filmed in Pakistan, the film follows ten-year-old Myra, played by Innayah Umer, in Lahore.
Myra, with her My Little Pony backpack, is portrayed in a poetic, child-like tone. The soft instrumental music and colorful lighting communicate a youthful sensitivity that quickly turns from peaceful and imaginative to dangerous as Myra misses her van ride home from school.
As Myra grips her chest and her flowy hijab, the tone of the piece changes quickly to contrast her inner narrative of peaceful imagination with the machinery noise and harassment of the big city. She walks along the busy streets of Lahore, fearful yet persistent.
Nathaniel’s directing underscores Myra as small, meek, and highly aware of her surroundings, often using the camera to look down at her. Myra readjusts her hijab more than a few times, highlighting her awareness of how she is perceived as a young girl on the streets of one of the busiest and largest cities in the world.
The stress underpinning the film continues to rise as the sun sets and Myra’s nearly bedbound mother calls out for her and her family members amid their silent and dark home. As Myra’s mother crawls across the floor of her dark room, the audience begins to discover that the “home” portrayed at the beginning of the film as the goal of Myra’s journey may not be the safe and loving atmosphere one might have had in mind.
Nathaniel beautifully weaves together challenging themes and subjects, highlighting the sensory environment of Lahore and Myra’s home and school. Her use of light to capture Myra in these unique settings underscores her journey throughout the film. Additionally, the casting is done incredibly well, with the young actress communicating complex emotions through her facial expressions and body language.
Myra’s mother, the primary representation of disability in the film, is portrayed in a challenging light. Perhaps Myra wouldn’t face the challenges she does in the film if her mother were not disabled, and this is the question the audience is left with. Nonetheless, her disability is framed as both permanent in the way her family acts, and curable as framed by the neighborhood pharmacist.
The final scenes portray a sense of devastation. As Myra reaches home, the closing scenes of the film are fully visual, devoid of verbal or written text. In a subtle but heartbreaking way, viewers learn that Myra’s rush to return home carries more weight than originally realized.
“The film is inspired by true events in my life and those of my friends,” Writer-Director Afia Serena Nathaniel shared with Disability Belongs™. “It asks us to consider how sexual violence is deeply entrenched in societies and the price girls and women pay on a daily basis.” Nathaniel is a Fellow of the 2025 Disability Belongs™ Entertainment Lab.
The film has won several juried and audience awards, including “Best International Film” at DC Independent Film Festival, “Best Long Short” at the UK Asian Film Festival, and “Best Short” at the Big Apple Film Festival. It most recently screened at the California Women’s Film Festival. From July 11-17, the film will enjoy a theatrical release at the Roxie San Francisco.
The Caravaggian use of light and commentary on the barriers faced by young women in Lahore presented in this award-winning short film make it a must-watch. Follow the film’s journey on Instagram: @myra.shortfilm.
