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Coffee and Allah

  • 20072007
  • 14m
IMDb RATING
7.5/10
29
YOUR RATING
  • Cast & crew
  • User reviews
  • IMDbPro
  • Short
  • Drama
  • Family
When a cup of coffee is a gift from Allah.When a cup of coffee is a gift from Allah.When a cup of coffee is a gift from Allah.
IMDb RATING
7.5/10
29
YOUR RATING
  • Director
    • Sima Urale
  • Writer
    • Shuchi Kothari
  • Stars
    • Zahara Abbawaaji
    • Joe Folau
    • John Mellor
Top credits
  • Director
    • Sima Urale
  • Writer
    • Shuchi Kothari
  • Stars
    • Zahara Abbawaaji
    • Joe Folau
    • John Mellor
  • See production, box office & company info
    • 1User review
  • See production, box office & company info
  • See more at IMDbPro
    • Awards
      • 3 wins & 1 nomination

    Photos

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    Top cast

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    Zahara Abbawaaji
    • Abebaas Abeba
    Joe Folau
    Joe Folau
    • Nonuas Nonu
    John Mellor
    • Rogeras Roger
    Shailesh Prajapati
    Shailesh Prajapati
    • Mr. Indianas Mr. Indian
    Kristy Robertson
    • Waitressas Waitress
    Sapna Samant
    • Mrs. Indianas Mrs. Indian
    Jared Turner
    Jared Turner
    • Cafe Manageras Cafe Manager
    • Director
      • Sima Urale
    • Writer
      • Shuchi Kothari
    • Production, box office & more at IMDbPro
    • All cast & crew

    Storyline

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    A young Muslim woman's appetite for coffee, Islam and a good game of badminton. When Oromo Ethiopian Abeba Mohammed moves to suburban Mt Albert, she has nothing but her faith in Allah, a taste for Ethiopian coffee, and a zest for life to sustain her. From behind her purdah, and no knowledge of English, Abeba struggles to make a connection with the people of her new homeland. —Venice Film Festival
    • Plot summary
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    • Taglines
      • When a cup of coffee is a gift from Allah
    • Genres
      • Short
      • Drama
      • Family
      • War
    • Parents guide
      • Add content advisory

    User reviews1

    Review
    Top review
    8/10
    Coffee and Badminton
    I recently saw this at the 2008 Palm Springs International Short Fest. This is the story of Abeba (Zahara Abbawaaaji) a new Muslim Ethiopian émigré to New Zealand who is left alone at her sister's suburban home for a few days. She is a practicing Muslim and wears a purdah with only her eyes and nose exposed to view. She frequents a local trendy modern coffee shop but not for a cup of coffee. She prefers to buy unroasted raw coffee beans and believes that in roasting, grinding and brewing them yourself the finished cup of coffee is a gift from Allah. Hesitant of interacting with the locals and mindful that they may not want to interact with her because she is foreign and a Muslim she stays home watching English language television that she can't understand and discovers she has a natural talent for the game of badminton. She also finds that people do want to know her. Directed by Sima Urale, a graduate of the New Zealand Drama School and Victorian College of the Arts Film and Television School of Australia. This only the third short from Urale in an 11 year span which I find strange considering her other two Still Life and Tamaitio were critically acclaimed award winners. She has also done a documentary and several music videos but no feature films as of yet. Dr. Shuchi Kothari is the film's writer. Abbawaaaji is not a professional actress and comes form the Aukland Ethiopian immigrant community. There is very little dialog or subtitles in this film and what dialog there is is in mostly English. Also in the cast are Joe Folau as Nonu, Jared Turner as the store manager and John Mellor as Roger. There is not much to this film but it charming and thoughtful and whimsical and looks great on the screen. If your looking for something a little different I would recommend it and give it a 8.0 out of 10.
    helpful•1
    0
    • johno-21
    • Aug 30, 2008

    Details

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    • Release date
      • September 2007 (Italy)
    • Country of origin
      • New Zealand
    • Language
      • English
    • Also known as
      • Káva a Alláh
    • Production company
      • Nomadz Unlimited
    • See more company credits at IMDbPro

    Technical specs

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    • Runtime
      14 minutes

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