Prayer (2026): Cast, Story and Release Details

Prepared by Movies Dock Editorial

Prayer is a 14-minute drama set in a Lisbon techno club, where Abdul faces an urgent choice between keeping his first job and being present for the birth of his son. The short film also examines his struggle to preserve a sacred family tradition while navigating undocumented immigrant labor.

Prayer is a 2026 drama short set during one intensely demanding night in Lisbon. Abdul, an immigrant worker starting his first shift at a techno club, receives an urgent call from his wife, Aliyah, who is in labor and wants him by her side.

Directed by Sofia Geweiler and written by Deo Mahameru, the film connects the pressures of work and impending fatherhood with Abdul’s effort to perform the Adhan for his newborn son. Its story is based on Mahameru’s autobiographical experience and was developed as a student project at Lusófona University in Lisbon.

Prayer movie details

Story without spoilers

The film follows Abdul as he tries to manage competing responsibilities. His new boss, Maria, urgently needs his help at the club, while Aliyah’s labor makes his absence from home increasingly difficult. Abdul must weigh the risk of losing his first job against the importance of being present for his family.

Alongside this immediate conflict, he faces resistance from his strict father-in-law over his right to recite the Adhan, a sacred Islamic call to prayer, for his newborn son. The short’s central concerns include fatherhood from afar, immigrant labor and the preservation of tradition under pressure.

What to expect

Prayer is a compact, character-focused drama built around a time-sensitive family and workplace conflict. Its 14-minute runtime suggests a tightly contained story, while the Lisbon club setting places private emotional stakes against a demanding public workplace. The premise also gives the film a clear focus on undocumented immigrant labor, religious tradition and the uncertainty of becoming a father while separated from home.

Cast and creative team

Igor Regalla plays Abdul, with Joana Pialgata as Maria, Eric Santos as Baba, Inês Corino as Aliya and Sofia Franco as Girl. Sofia Geweiler directs the film, and Deo Mahameru wrote the screenplay. The story is based on Mahameru’s autobiographical experience.

• Igor Regalla as Abdul
• Joana Pialgata as Maria
• Eric Santos as Baba
• Inês Corino as Aliya
• Sofia Franco as Girl

Release and production context

Prayer is a 2026 film from Portugal with a runtime of 14 minutes. It is listed as released on September 28, 2026, and its spoken language is English. The project was created as a student film within the KinoEyes Joint European Film Masters at Lusófona University in Lisbon, with Lusófona University listed as the production company.

Production companies: Lusófona University

Movies Dock view

With its short runtime and focused premise, Prayer centers on a single period of personal and professional pressure rather than a broad life story. The film’s setting, autobiographical foundation and attention to religious tradition frame Abdul’s dilemma as both an intimate family matter and part of a wider experience of undocumented work.

Film data:
TMDB