Doors Closing is a bite-sized psychological horror film where a familiar everyday moment turns into something unsettling, unexpectedly. The last train arrives. The doors open. One step changes everything.
Doors Closing won first place at I-Film Festival Abu Dhabi, received an Honorable Mention at the Seoul International AI Film Festival, and is currently an official selection for AI Film Awards Venice 2026.
Having been born and raised in the UAE, the phrase “Al Abwab Tughlak” is something that has stayed with me for as long as I can remember. It’s a sound tied to routine, movement, and everyday life. Growing up in Dubai, the metro isn’t just a mode of transport; it’s a shared experience that feels both familiar and deeply nostalgic.
This film stems from that familiarity.
I’ve always been interested in how ordinary spaces can suddenly feel unfamiliar. The metro, for me, became the perfect setting to explore that shift. A controlled, predictable environment where everything is designed to function seamlessly… until it doesn’t.
The idea was to take something universally recognized and subtly distort it. Not through exaggerated horror, but through stillness, timing, and unease. The mirroring of movement is not just a visual device, it represents a loss of control. The character believes he is making choices, but in reality, he has already stepped into something predetermined, something he was never meant to enter.
At its core, this film explores the discomfort of being trapped in a space that once felt safe. It asks a simple question: how quickly can the familiar turn against you?
Sometimes, all it takes… is one step.
