About this submission

When the refugee crisis in Europe reached its peak in 2015, many people, largely from Syria, fled to Germany to seek asylum. A shelter was built directly next to my school and sparked discussions among teachers, parents, and students. I was 14 at the time and one morning on my way to school I met a young girl from Syria on the bus. We became friends despite the language barrier. It inspired me to write a story about a political topic from a child’s point of view, who, at first, blindly adopts her parents’ views before forming her own.

Shalyn Delhaes

Creator

Shalyn Delhaes (she/her) is a German director/producer based in Los Angeles. After starting her career at Paramount Animation on the feature film AVATAR: THE LAST AIRBENDER (release Fall ‘26), she moved into indie work including the AFI thesis films “Dandelion” (a Student Academy Award nominee), the music video “Banning Books” with Cherry Pick Productions, and the international horror film “Animal” in London. Currently, she supports the development team of a new production company, Snapper’s Daughter Productions and works as a personal assistant to Lily Collins. As a creative, she is focused on ampliyfing queer stories as well as female creators and she’s exhilerated to channel her passion into the new project “GIRL OF MY DREAMS.” more...