Azerbaijan!!

Thrilled to announce that My Plastic Mother, by Amar Haikal, has been officially selected for the International Competition (Official Selection) of the 1st Lachin International Film Festival.

My Plastic Mother will compete for the Golden Oak Award.

“The official prize of LachinFilmFest is the Golden Oak Branch, inspired by the rare Red Oak of the Lachin forests—a symbol of resilience and the powerful rebirth of regional culture.”

Lachin holds the status of the CIS Cultural Capital for 2025. Unlike massive urban festivals, LachinFilmFest turns geographical distance and the mountain landscape into an exclusive advantage, creating an intimate environment for professional communication that is impossible in megapolises. The uniqueness of Lachin lies in the harmony of its nature—the Hekari River and historical heritage (Gasimushaghi carpets)—with modern infrastructure including the Lachin Airport, high-end resorts, and creative studios.

My Plastic Mother, also known as Anak Macan, is the most successful Asian short film of the year.
And following its impressive triumph at the Flickerfest International Short Film Festival in Australia, where it won the Grand Jury Prize, it is an official contender to kick off the run-up to the Oscars in Hollywood.

Amar Haikal about My Plastic Mother:

I grew up without my mother. As a kid, I did not really consider it to be a problem until I saw the relationship my classmates had with their mothers. For example, family photo days in elementary school were always a terror; the other kids brought in photographs of their whole family, and all mine had was just a photo of me and my father. It made me feel incomplete. I would then end up crafting well-thought-out lies to my friends about my mother working overseas. I slowly became a very troublesome and hurtful kid, to the point of expulsion in the sixth grade. As I reflect, the frustration and confusion that I kept to myself were the one that led me to hurt others around me.

With this film, I want to encapsulate those years of my childhood. It is a story about longing and the desire we all have to feel complete, interpreted through the pure desire of a child. The protagonist is a naughty, harsh boy that secretly keeps a lot of pain inside – which is also a trait most male don’t get the chance to outgrow.

In 2021, as I was shooting a documentary project in the landfill of Bantar Gebang, a huge landslide happened. Burying hundreds of old public graveyards with plastic waste sent from the capital, Jakarta. The locals refer to the kids who play in the landfill as “Anak Macan” or “Tiger Boy” due to their reckless nature. But I see it as an ironic relation to the mascot of Jakarta, the Kemayoran Tiger. All the characters in this film are played by non-professional actors, they are the kids who live in Bantar Gebang. This story is theirs as much as it is mine.