A commercial shoot is interrupted when real life interferes with make-believe in director Karim Shaaban‘s short film, I Don’t Care If the World Collapses. Inspired by true events from three years ago, Shaaban crafts a delicate conflict in which morals are tested. Taking aim at the dark side of the film industry, where making money often takes precedence over mental health, I Don’t Care If the World Collapses shows the human casualties resulting from cold-hearted, capitalistic thinking.

Trying to Save a Commercial Shoot From Collapsing

Loubina (Salma Abu Deif) arrives at her one-day commercial film shoot ready to jump into action. As the film’s line producer, she is responsible for ensuring that everything runs smoothly and efficiently. Loubina sips her coffee as she chats with the lead actor (Emad Rashad), an older man who can hardly contain his excitement. He is a sweet soul and eager to please the director (Amir Salaheldin). All goes according to plan until the actor receives a life-shattering phone call and decides to leave mid-shoot, much to the director and producers’ dismay.

The production manager (Emad El Tayeb) is furious, screaming that the tight deadline makes it impossible to reschedule the shoot. Plus, if they don’t deliver the commercial on time, they’re subject to a 10 million pound penalty. Therefore, the actor leaving the set is not an option. The actor, however, doesn’t see it this way. He is going through an unexpected and tragic loss and believes empathy should take precedence over contracts. This leaves Loubina caught in the middle, torn between fulfilling her job responsibilities and convincing the actor to stay on set versus being a compassionate and decent human being and allowing him to leave.

The Grey Area of Responsibility

I Don’t Care If the World Collapses is a beautifully constructed thought-provoking film about the burden of responsibility. From a craft perspective, the color grade is rich and dynamic, giving the film a dark cinematic look. The actors are choreographed in unique ways and perceived through intentionally interesting camera movements. The ensemble cast offers a gripping look at each character’s perspective through their equally heartfelt performances.

Takeaway

Making its World Premiere at the 2024 Cleveland International Film Festival, I Don’t Care If the World Collapses is a standout short film. Filmmaker Karim Shaaban creates a stunning and high-stakes world ripe with tension and empathy. It’s an impressive film that will hopefully lead to a feature-length opportunity soon enough.