A new short film by NYLON is the intimate portrayal of a Muslim teenager’s sexuality.

‘Hala,’ written and directed by Minhal Baig, follows a 16-year-old Muslim teenager, Hala (Tess Granfield) as she attempts to explore her sexuality and identity while growing up in a conservative, religious household.

The short film opens starkly as we see Hala masturbate, only to be interrupted by her mother asking why she missed suhoor, a pre-dawn meal eaten while fasting during Ramadan.

Then, while skateboarding at a park, she meets Jesse (Jasper Newman), and the two share an immediate connection.

While she embarks on a relationship with him, she sees her parents’ relationship disintegrate as they argue about religious guidelines and the way they raise her.

Director Minhal Baig said, “Hala is a sexual awakening through an intimate, subjective, and underrepresented perspective.

“Our protagonist, Hala, a sixteen-year-old Muslim-American teenager, has a rich, interior life but has difficulty expressing her thoughts and feelings.

“As she navigates her adolescence, her own beliefs and the expectations of her family, Hala comes to learn who she is.

“This is the story of a Muslim-American girl who faces the tensions between faith, personal and sexual exploration.

.

“Hala is a universal story, accessible and relatable to a wide audience — those who love coming-of-age stories, in addition to cinephiles and lovers of independent film who can appreciate a story from the perspective of an underrepresented demographic.

“I want an audience to experience the ennui of youth, which they’ve likely felt themselves, how adherence to faith and sexual exploration can coexist, and how the search for telos or purpose is a lifelong one.”