“I Do My Work” is theoretically speaking Yosef Baraki’s second short film, but with its runtime that fits the mid-length profile, it belongs to the kind of films most difficult to program within or outside of festivals. On the other hand, it doesn’t feel any longer or shorter that it should be. Due to complexity of the subject matter, “I Do My Work” had to embrace the best possible time frame to wrap up its story without cutting its essence or over-stretching it for the sake of better distribution chances.

“The Last Ferry to Grass Island” is screening at Toronto Reel Asian International Film Festival

The documentary follows attempts made at the National Music Institute in Kabul to train students for the celebratory concert in honor of 100 years of Afghani independence (2019), to be broadcast on national radio and TV. As we can read from the title cards at the beginning of the film,...