Flight Risk [short]

A sharp 16-minute comedy short about the absurdity of airport security profiling. Muhammad's holiday plans derail when he's stopped at security and accused of something he absolutely isn't — a premise that cuts right to the nerve of contemporary travel anxiety and Islamophobia.

Directed by Mohammad Awad, the film is part of NewFest 2026's "Shorts: Get Some Laughs!" program, a curated selection of comedy shorts that land somewhere between laugh-out-loud and uncomfortably true. Awad's work mines humor from real experience — the kind that makes you laugh and then sit with it.

Screening at SVA Theatre in Chelsea, a 600-seat venue with solid sightlines and a serious film-festival atmosphere. This is part of a larger shorts program, so you'll be seeing multiple pieces back-to-back. Tickets through NewFest's official ticketing.