I Fear Blue Skies (2025) Drama Short Film

Discover ‘I Fear Blue Skies’ (2025), the latest short film from director award-winning filmmaker Salar Pashtoonyar. A haunting and gripping new drama where clear skies bring terror.

🌌 I Fear Blue Skies (2025) — Drama Short Film by Salar Pashtoonyar

What does it mean when something as beautiful as a clear sky becomes terrifying? In I Fear Blue Skies, Afghan‑Canadian filmmaker Salar Pashtoonyar crafts a deeply personal short that explores how war, displacement, and memory can transform everyday beauty into a source of dread. It’s a film about fear, resilience, and the fragile hope of healing.

🧭 Overview

Genre: Drama / Poetic Realism 🎭
Director & Writer: Salar Pashtoonyar 🎬✍️
Runtime: ~13 minutes ⏱️
Country: Canada 🇨🇦
Language: English & Dari (bilingual dialogue)
Release: 2025 (festival circuit)
Style: Minimalist, lyrical, emotionally raw

Watch the short:

📖 Story in Brief

The Past: A young Afghan refugee carries the trauma of drone strikes and bombings, where blue skies often meant danger overhead.
The Present: Living in Canada, he struggles with ordinary days — sunshine, open skies, and the silence of suburban life.
The Conflict: His fear isolates him, making intimacy and trust difficult.
The Journey: Through encounters with family, strangers, and his own memories, he begins to confront the paradox of beauty and terror.
The Resolution: The film closes on a fragile note of acceptance — not erasing fear, but learning to live alongside it.
Synopsis: Amid the chaotic U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan, a desperate civilian seeks a Taliban permit for his American employer, hoping it will secure his family’s evacuation.
Toronto International Film Festival – 2025 – World Premiere: WINNER of the Vimeo Staff Pick Award at the 2025 Toronto International Film Festival

🎨 Creative DNA & Style

Visual metaphor: Wide shots of empty skies contrast with claustrophobic interiors, mirroring the protagonist’s inner state.
Sound design: Silence punctuated by sudden, sharp noises evokes the unpredictability of trauma.
Performance: Naturalistic acting grounds the poetic visuals in lived reality.
Tone: Gentle yet unsettling, balancing empathy with unease.

🌟 Themes & Resonance

Trauma & memory: How past violence reshapes present perception.
Displacement: The refugee experience as both physical and emotional exile.
Beauty vs. fear: The paradox of finding terror in something universally admired.
Healing: The slow, imperfect process of reclaiming joy.

✅ Pros & ❌ Cons

Pros

🎯 Unique premise: Turns the sky itself into a character of dread.
🎨 Poetic visuals: Minimalist yet emotionally charged.
🌍 Cultural resonance: Speaks to refugee experiences rarely portrayed onscreen.

Cons

⏳ Short runtime: Leaves you wanting more of the protagonist’s backstory.
🌀 Ambiguity: Its lyrical style may feel elusive to viewers craving straightforward narrative.

💡 Humanized Takeaway

I Fear Blue Skies is a reminder that beauty is not universal — it’s filtered through experience. Salar Pashtoonyar’s short film captures the invisible scars of war and displacement, showing how even the simplest things — a sunny day, a quiet sky — can carry unbearable weight. It’s a story of survival, empathy, and the fragile hope of learning to see the sky again.