In this gentle but moving short film, sparse dialogue makes way for visual storytelling and striking imagery — a colbalt blue purdah, a hedge as a badminton net, coffee roasting in the dark. Coffee & Allah follows Abeba (Zahara Abbawaaji), a young Muslim woman adapting to her new home of Aotearoa and striving to make a connection, even when language is a barrier. Marking the first collaboration between writer Shuchi Kothari and director Sima Urale — their feature film Apron Strings was released a year later — the film enjoyed overseas festival success, including selection for the prestigious Venice Film Festival.