The Arab Sprint
Los Angeles, California | Film Short
Satire, Comedy
Tino Terrano, a young white, down-and-out stage actor, has one shot at a big movie audition, but only thirty minutes to make it across LA. Running in broad daylight dressed in costume as an Arab, Tino's journey is marred by unexpected hostilities and racial profiling that change him forever.
The Arab Sprint
Los Angeles, California | Film Short
Satire, Comedy
1 Campaigns | California, United States
Green Light
This campaign raised $735 for production. Follow the filmmaker to receive future updates on this project.
12 supporters | followers
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Tino Terrano, a young white, down-and-out stage actor, has one shot at a big movie audition, but only thirty minutes to make it across LA. Running in broad daylight dressed in costume as an Arab, Tino's journey is marred by unexpected hostilities and racial profiling that change him forever.
About The Project
- The Story
- Wishlist
- Updates
- The Team
- Community
Mission Statement
The Story
Tino Terrano, a struggling actor stuck in a thankless theatre production called "Oil, Oil Go Away", gets the call he’s been waiting for, his third callback for a real movie role. There’s just one problem: he’s late, he’s across Los Angeles, and he’s still dressed in his Arab costume from his play. With thirty minutes to make it to the audition, Tino embarks on a frantic, absurd sprint through the city. What should have been a simple commute turns into a series of misunderstandings, hostilities, and racial profiling.
From awkward rides with eccentric strangers to run-ins with suspicious passersby and hostile bystanders, every step of his journey in costume accentuates the chaos. Tino endures humiliation, stereotyping, and bursts of dark comedy while fielding increasingly desperate phone calls from his furious agent.
Intercut with this frantic dash are interrogation scenes that frame his journey as a series of alleged “incidents,” escalating the tension and satirizing the paranoia of post-9/11 America. The line between comedy and tragedy blurs as Tino pushes on, determined to prove himself as more than the caricature everyone sees.
By the time he reaches his destination - battered, misunderstood, and exhausted - Tino’s odyssey becomes less about an audition and more a biting exploration of identity, prejudice, and survival in a city quick to judge by appearances. The Arab Sprint, in a nutshell, is one man’s desperate bid to outrun both time and stereotype.
The Arab Sprint explores themes of satire, identity, and perception in a city quick to judge. It tackles racial profiling, paranoia, and cultural ignorance through the absurd misadventures of an actor racing across LA in broad daylight as an Arab. Beneath the comedy lies a critique of how stereotypes distort our reality and strip people of their unique individuality.
The tone is fast, witty, and irreverent—balancing slapstick humor with biting social commentary. The interrogation framing heightens tension, contrasting laughs with unease. All of this amounts to a brisk, outrageous, and thought-provoking narrative that uses humor to expose prejudice while capturing a struggle every LA native has faced at some point.
As a filmmaker, I see great novelty in using humour as a tool to call out the hypocrisy around us. It is the thing that disarms us and, in that space, makes us face uncomfortable truths. Moving to California after having lived in India all my life, I was awakened to a new sense of reality, as if I didn't belong. But stories aren't alien; they are universal. And this one comes from a place of trying to make that feeling come alive.
We're trying to raise a minimum of $7000, this money will go towards:
- Locations: We want to make a film authentic to Los Angeles, that encapsulates its energy and chaos simultaneously.
- Camera & Gear: To bring our world to life with the best tools possible.
- Food & Catering: Cast and crew care is of utmost importance to us.
- Production Design: Crafting the visual imagery of the film.
Our stretch budget is $10K.
This will not just allow us to make the film, but make it just as we had imagined, with a lot of love and heart! These additional funds will go towards:
- Post Production: Music, Color & Sound Design to bring our film home.
- Lenses: To craft the perfect look for the film with the right set of lenses.
- Festival Fees: We want as many eyeballs on this film as possible for it to have a greater impact.
Please remember every dollar gets us closer to our target of getting this tale on the screen. We have a beautiful set of people, excited and elated to make this film happen. All we need now is your help!
Big love and thanks!
Shashwat
Wishlist
Use the WishList to Pledge cash and Loan items - or - Make a pledge by selecting an Incentive directly.
Camera & Equipment
Costs $100
Support us in getting good-quality gear for our cinematography team.
Food & Catering
Costs $100
To get healthy meals for our cast and crew with lots of water and coffee on the side!
Makeup and Costume
Costs $100
To hammer in every detail of the character, and bring it to the screen authentically.
Production Design
Costs $400
Production design plays a very crucial role in impactful visual storytelling!
Locations
Costs $100
Shooting in Los Angeles isn't cheap, especially for student productions.
Post Production
Costs $100
Sound Design, Color Grading, Background Score, Backup Drives, and so on -- before you know it, the cost really adds up.
Cash Pledge
Costs $0
Direct link:
Share this update!
About This Team
Shashwat Mathur -- Writer/Director
Shashwat Mathur grew up in the city of Mumbai, home to Bollywood. After majoring in Journalism in undergrad, he moved to Los Angeles to pursue his dream of filmmaking. Currently enrolled as an MFA student at the USC School of Cinematic Arts. Shashwat possesses a flair for snappy dialogue and irreverent characters that find their way into most of his work. His childhood love for Hindi cinema and his upbringing on international greats make his style a unique dose of drama, thrill, and quirk. His films have entered multiple film festivals across the world.
Sonia Bhatia -- Producer
Sonia is a fan of all things producing, from development to distribution. Originally from Mumbai, India, Sonia strongly believes in the ability of well-crafted stories to transcend geographical and cultural barriers and her goal is to produce narratives that are accessible to audiences worldwide. She has interned at Mandalay Entertainment, Highland Film Group, and Excel Entertainment.
Maryam Sindi -- Producer
Maryam is a Saudi American filmmaker and producer pursuing her MA in Cinema and Media Studies at USC. She has worked on projects across Saudi Arabia and Los Angeles, producing shorts and supporting independent films in roles from post-production to on-set crew. Her work bridges storytelling and collaboration across cultures.
Malak Krayem -- Producer
Malak Krayem is a Saudi Arabian filmmaker who has a love for directing films centered around women while highlighting her Middle-Eastern culture. Her experience in Producing and AD-ing has shaped her love for making movies. She is in her final semester at USC, soon to finish her MFA in Film and TV Production.
Dylan Luce -- Producer
Dylan Luce is a graduate student in USC’s Peter Stark Producing Program, where he is developing his skills in creative producing, narrative development, and film production. With a background in both production and environmental sustainability, Dylan aims to bridge his passion for storytelling with his commitment to building a more sustainable entertainment industry. He thrives in collaborative environments and is driven by the challenge of turning creative vision into meaningful, well-executed projects.
Christy Chen -- Cinematographer
Christy Chen is a recent MFA graduate from USC. She's passionate about visual storytelling in all its forms and is especially drawn to stories layered with emotion, texture, and complexity. Whether through light, lens, or collaboration, she aims to help bring intimate moments to the surface.
Cheyu Chao -- Sound Designer
Cheyu Chao is a Taiwanese filmmaker with a growing passion for sound design and mixing. While she's happiest working in a quiet room behind her computer, crafting sonic worlds and perfecting audio details, she also enjoys connecting with others and making new friends along the way. Cheyu is constantly honing her craft and is excited to keep learning as she brings stories to life through sound.
Rishi Chitkara -- First Assistant Director
Rishi Chitkara is an award-winning filmmaker based in Los Angeles and a current MFA Film & Television Production student at USC’s School of Cinematic Arts. He serves as the Student President of USC’s Media Institute for Social Change, leading initiatives that promote socially impactful storytelling. With a background in technology and finance, he brings sharp organization and creative discipline to set. His films have screened internationally, earning recognition such as Best Debut Director at the Cuckoo International Film Awards and Best Drama at Indie Shorts Fest.
Current Team
Incentives
- The Story
- Wishlist
- Updates
- The Team
- Community
Mission Statement
The Story
Tino Terrano, a struggling actor stuck in a thankless theatre production called "Oil, Oil Go Away", gets the call he’s been waiting for, his third callback for a real movie role. There’s just one problem: he’s late, he’s across Los Angeles, and he’s still dressed in his Arab costume from his play. With thirty minutes to make it to the audition, Tino embarks on a frantic, absurd sprint through the city. What should have been a simple commute turns into a series of misunderstandings, hostilities, and racial profiling.
From awkward rides with eccentric strangers to run-ins with suspicious passersby and hostile bystanders, every step of his journey in costume accentuates the chaos. Tino endures humiliation, stereotyping, and bursts of dark comedy while fielding increasingly desperate phone calls from his furious agent.
Intercut with this frantic dash are interrogation scenes that frame his journey as a series of alleged “incidents,” escalating the tension and satirizing the paranoia of post-9/11 America. The line between comedy and tragedy blurs as Tino pushes on, determined to prove himself as more than the caricature everyone sees.
By the time he reaches his destination - battered, misunderstood, and exhausted - Tino’s odyssey becomes less about an audition and more a biting exploration of identity, prejudice, and survival in a city quick to judge by appearances. The Arab Sprint, in a nutshell, is one man’s desperate bid to outrun both time and stereotype.
The Arab Sprint explores themes of satire, identity, and perception in a city quick to judge. It tackles racial profiling, paranoia, and cultural ignorance through the absurd misadventures of an actor racing across LA in broad daylight as an Arab. Beneath the comedy lies a critique of how stereotypes distort our reality and strip people of their unique individuality.
The tone is fast, witty, and irreverent—balancing slapstick humor with biting social commentary. The interrogation framing heightens tension, contrasting laughs with unease. All of this amounts to a brisk, outrageous, and thought-provoking narrative that uses humor to expose prejudice while capturing a struggle every LA native has faced at some point.
As a filmmaker, I see great novelty in using humour as a tool to call out the hypocrisy around us. It is the thing that disarms us and, in that space, makes us face uncomfortable truths. Moving to California after having lived in India all my life, I was awakened to a new sense of reality, as if I didn't belong. But stories aren't alien; they are universal. And this one comes from a place of trying to make that feeling come alive.
We're trying to raise a minimum of $7000, this money will go towards:
- Locations: We want to make a film authentic to Los Angeles, that encapsulates its energy and chaos simultaneously.
- Camera & Gear: To bring our world to life with the best tools possible.
- Food & Catering: Cast and crew care is of utmost importance to us.
- Production Design: Crafting the visual imagery of the film.
Our stretch budget is $10K.
This will not just allow us to make the film, but make it just as we had imagined, with a lot of love and heart! These additional funds will go towards:
- Post Production: Music, Color & Sound Design to bring our film home.
- Lenses: To craft the perfect look for the film with the right set of lenses.
- Festival Fees: We want as many eyeballs on this film as possible for it to have a greater impact.
Please remember every dollar gets us closer to our target of getting this tale on the screen. We have a beautiful set of people, excited and elated to make this film happen. All we need now is your help!
Big love and thanks!
Shashwat
Wishlist
Use the WishList to Pledge cash and Loan items - or - Make a pledge by selecting an Incentive directly.
Camera & Equipment
Costs $100
Support us in getting good-quality gear for our cinematography team.
Food & Catering
Costs $100
To get healthy meals for our cast and crew with lots of water and coffee on the side!
Makeup and Costume
Costs $100
To hammer in every detail of the character, and bring it to the screen authentically.
Production Design
Costs $400
Production design plays a very crucial role in impactful visual storytelling!
Locations
Costs $100
Shooting in Los Angeles isn't cheap, especially for student productions.
Post Production
Costs $100
Sound Design, Color Grading, Background Score, Backup Drives, and so on -- before you know it, the cost really adds up.
Cash Pledge
Costs $0
Direct link:
Share this update!
About This Team
Shashwat Mathur -- Writer/Director
Shashwat Mathur grew up in the city of Mumbai, home to Bollywood. After majoring in Journalism in undergrad, he moved to Los Angeles to pursue his dream of filmmaking. Currently enrolled as an MFA student at the USC School of Cinematic Arts. Shashwat possesses a flair for snappy dialogue and irreverent characters that find their way into most of his work. His childhood love for Hindi cinema and his upbringing on international greats make his style a unique dose of drama, thrill, and quirk. His films have entered multiple film festivals across the world.
Sonia Bhatia -- Producer
Sonia is a fan of all things producing, from development to distribution. Originally from Mumbai, India, Sonia strongly believes in the ability of well-crafted stories to transcend geographical and cultural barriers and her goal is to produce narratives that are accessible to audiences worldwide. She has interned at Mandalay Entertainment, Highland Film Group, and Excel Entertainment.
Maryam Sindi -- Producer
Maryam is a Saudi American filmmaker and producer pursuing her MA in Cinema and Media Studies at USC. She has worked on projects across Saudi Arabia and Los Angeles, producing shorts and supporting independent films in roles from post-production to on-set crew. Her work bridges storytelling and collaboration across cultures.
Malak Krayem -- Producer
Malak Krayem is a Saudi Arabian filmmaker who has a love for directing films centered around women while highlighting her Middle-Eastern culture. Her experience in Producing and AD-ing has shaped her love for making movies. She is in her final semester at USC, soon to finish her MFA in Film and TV Production.
Dylan Luce -- Producer
Dylan Luce is a graduate student in USC’s Peter Stark Producing Program, where he is developing his skills in creative producing, narrative development, and film production. With a background in both production and environmental sustainability, Dylan aims to bridge his passion for storytelling with his commitment to building a more sustainable entertainment industry. He thrives in collaborative environments and is driven by the challenge of turning creative vision into meaningful, well-executed projects.
Christy Chen -- Cinematographer
Christy Chen is a recent MFA graduate from USC. She's passionate about visual storytelling in all its forms and is especially drawn to stories layered with emotion, texture, and complexity. Whether through light, lens, or collaboration, she aims to help bring intimate moments to the surface.
Cheyu Chao -- Sound Designer
Cheyu Chao is a Taiwanese filmmaker with a growing passion for sound design and mixing. While she's happiest working in a quiet room behind her computer, crafting sonic worlds and perfecting audio details, she also enjoys connecting with others and making new friends along the way. Cheyu is constantly honing her craft and is excited to keep learning as she brings stories to life through sound.
Rishi Chitkara -- First Assistant Director
Rishi Chitkara is an award-winning filmmaker based in Los Angeles and a current MFA Film & Television Production student at USC’s School of Cinematic Arts. He serves as the Student President of USC’s Media Institute for Social Change, leading initiatives that promote socially impactful storytelling. With a background in technology and finance, he brings sharp organization and creative discipline to set. His films have screened internationally, earning recognition such as Best Debut Director at the Cuckoo International Film Awards and Best Drama at Indie Shorts Fest.