TFS Alum Zain Duraie’s ‘Sink’ Selected as Jordan’s Oscar Entry for Best International Feature Film

Class of 2010 Film Production grad Zain Duraie has reached another major career milestone: her debut feature Sink has been selected as Jordan’s official entry for Best International Feature Film at the 99th Academy Awards.

Born and raised in Amman, Duraie brings a distinctly personal lens to the film, which follows a mother in denial about her teenage son’s struggles with an undiagnosed mental illness – a story she has described as deeply rooted in her own experience and culture.

The news arrives just over a year after Sink marked its world premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival in September 2025, and comes after the film has since screened at more than a dozen festivals internationally, including BFI London, Malmö, and the Red Sea International Film Festival.

Duraie’s selection was reported by both Deadline and Variety this September, further raising the profile of Sink in this year’s international feature race.

“I was truly thrilled,” Duraie said of learning the news. “It’s an honor that my film was selected to represent my country.”

A Different Kind of Honour

Sink, an 88-minute drama Duraie wrote and directed, follows a mother (played by Palestinian actress Clara Khoury) in denial about her teenage son’s (Jordanian actor Mohammad Nizar) struggles with an undiagnosed mental illness.

For Duraie, seeing the film carry Jordan’s flag to the Oscars feels distinct from – but connected to – its TIFF debut.

“I think they are both major milestones for the film, but clearly this is national prestige,” she said. “I’m honored to have both on my profile as a filmmaker now. My inbox has been buzzing since the announcement, and it’s been wonderful to feel this new wave of interest in the film.”

That interest has translated into real momentum on the ground.

“It has been going viral, and it feels like everyone is talking about the film which is exactly what we want,” Duraie added. “It should also be returning to cinemas in Jordan soon, which is really exciting. We’re truly hoping that this momentum will help open the door to North American distribution and make that path a little easier.”

A Personal Triumph

Duraie has long described Sink as a project into which she poured “every piece of my heart,” a sentiment she shared in a July 2025 Instagram post announcing the film’s TIFF selection. Watching that intimacy travel from a 22-day shoot in Amman to TIFF and now to Oscar consideration, she said, has been remarkable.

“It’s honestly a beautiful feeling, especially for a non-political film from a country like Jordan,” she said. “To see the film reach this point feels incredibly meaningful. It feels like we’ve reached the highest peak of this journey.”

The road to get there wasn’t easy. Financing Sink took years, with funding eventually secured through the Red Sea Fund – following Duraie’s participation in the Red Sea Lodge training programme in 2021 – as well as the Doha Film Institute, the Jordan Film Fund, and the Arab Fund for Arts and Culture.

Looking back, Duraie said the uncertainty makes this moment land even harder.

“It’s quite overwhelming to look back on it. Sink took years to finance, develop, and finally make, and there were so many moments when I wasn’t sure if we would ever get to this point. So, to now see the film representing Jordan at the Oscars feels incredibly meaningful,” she said.

“It makes all those years of uncertainty, setbacks, and persistence feel worthwhile. I’m just very grateful that the film has found its way this far.”

Arab Stories on a World Stage

Duraie has spoken before about her ambition to tell personal stories rooted in her own culture, without conforming to expectations of what an “Arab film” should look like. She sees the Oscar selection as part of that larger mission – not its conclusion.

“I definitely see it as a step toward that, but also as just the beginning. I want to show that Jordanian and Arab stories can travel internationally without having to fit into a particular idea of what an Arab film should be,” she said.

“For me, it’s important that we’re able to tell stories that are personal, contemporary, and universal, while still being rooted in where we come from. Having Sink represent Jordan at the Oscars gives me a lot of hope that there is space for more of these stories on the world stage.

“I hope this can open doors not just for me, but for other Jordanian and Arab filmmakers to tell the stories they want to tell.”

TFS Roots

Duraie’s filmmaking foundations trace back to her time in TFS’s Film Production program, where she says the most lasting lesson was a fundamental one.

“I mostly learned practical tools for screenwriting, especially the importance of showing rather than telling,” she said. “It sounds quite basic when I say it now, but it became much more deeply rooted in the way I think about cinema and the visual tools I use to tell a story.”

As a graduation project, Duraie made a short film shot on 16mm – an experience she calls “amazing” in hindsight, even as she credits the real education to what came after.

“TFS really taught me the rules and fundamentals of filmmaking, which gave me a strong foundation,” she said. “But nothing compares to making a film outside of school, where you’re working under real pressure, with a professional crew, while time and money are serious constraints that you have to navigate as a director.”

That hard-won experience carried directly into her short films Horizon and Give Up the Ghost, and ultimately into the making of Sink.

Advice for Next Generation Filmmakers

Asked what she’d want current TFS students and aspiring filmmakers to take from her journey, Duraie didn’t hesitate.

“I would tell them to keep going, even when the journey feels much longer and harder than they imagined. Making films takes a lot of patience, persistence, and belief in your own voice. There will be a lot of rejection and moments when you question whether it’s going to happen, but you have to keep finding your way back to the work,” she said.

“I would also encourage filmmakers from the region not to feel pressured to make the kind of films they think the outside world expects from them. Tell the stories that feel personal and meaningful to you. Your perspective is what makes your work unique.”

Looking Ahead

Duraie is already at work on a new project, though she’s staying tight-lipped on details for now.

“I’m currently developing a new concept, and it’s very different in subject and direction from Sink,” she said. “It looks like I’m staying within the same genre, which of course makes my life a little harder, but it’s also what fuels me. I’m drawn to stories that challenge me emotionally and creatively, so I’m excited to see where this one takes me.”

For more information and updates about Sink, go to www.instagram.com/sink.movie/.

The Oscar shortlist for Best International Feature Film will be announced December 15, with nominations following on January 21.