Toronto Film School alum Zain Duraie’s Sink returns to Toronto as Jordan’s Oscar submission
Writer-director Zain Duraie works on the set of Sink, her debut feature and Jordan’s official submission for consideration in the International Feature Film category at the 99th Academy Awards.
Photo credit: George-Nicholas al Khouri / Toronto Film School
Zain Duraie’s debut feature Sink returns to Toronto on Oct. 1 after being selected as Jordan’s official submission for consideration in the International Feature Film category at the 99th Academy Awards. The film screens at 8 p.m. at TIFF Lightbox as part of the Toronto Palestine Film Festival, with a Q&A scheduled to follow.
The screening comes just over a year after Sink had its world premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival in September 2025, where it screened in the Discovery programme. Duraie’s connection to the city goes back further: Toronto Film School identifies her as a Class of 2010 graduate of its Film Production program.
Written and directed by Duraie, Sink follows Nadia, a mother whose teenage son Basil is suspended from school after a troubling outburst. Nadia initially convinces herself that he needs discipline and guidance, even as his behaviour becomes increasingly volatile and his mental health deteriorates. Clara Khoury, Mohammad Nizar and Wissam Tobeileh lead the cast.
Jordan’s independent Selection Committee chose Sink as the country’s submission for the 99th Academy Awards, according to the Royal Film Commission – Jordan, which announced the decision Sept. 21. The commission administered and coordinated the selection process but said the committee reviewed the films and made its artistic decision independently.
Jordan’s selection places Sink in the Academy’s International Feature Film submission process. It has not been nominated for an Academy Award, and final eligibility and acceptance are determined by the Academy. The submission deadline was Sept. 30, with the Oscar shortlist scheduled to be announced Dec. 15 and nominations following Jan. 21, 2027. The 99th Academy Awards are scheduled for March 14.
For Duraie, the selection follows years spent developing and financing her first feature. The Red Sea Film Foundation says Sink was developed through its Feature Films Program, formerly known as The Lodge, participated in the Red Sea Souk and received support from the Red Sea Fund. The production completed a 22-day shoot in Amman in November 2024.
Duraie has described the story as a personal one and has spoken about wanting to make contemporary Jordanian and Arab films grounded in the experiences and culture she knows without tailoring them to outside expectations of Arab cinema. In a Sept. 24 interview with Toronto Film School, she said she wants Jordanian and Arab stories to be able to travel internationally while remaining rooted in where they come from.
Duraie told Toronto Film School that the team hopes the attention surrounding Jordan’s Oscar selection will help Sink find a North American distributor.
“We’re truly hoping that this momentum will help open the door to North American distribution and make that path a little easier,” she said.
Duraie also traced some of her filmmaking foundations to Toronto. She told the school that she learned practical screenwriting tools through the Film Production program and gained a foundation in the rules and fundamentals of filmmaking. Her graduation project was a short film shot on 16mm.
Before Sink, Duraie directed the shorts Horizon and Give Up the Ghost. Horizon had its world premiere
