The original short film “Jahar” will be shown at the Independent Film Festival Boston at the Somerville Theatre on April 28 and May 2.

By Jessica Kenney

Henry Hayes and Zolan Kanno-Youngs, classmates of Boston Marathon bomber Dzhokhar Tsarnaev, will be screening an original short film titled Jahar at the Independent Film Festival Boston at the Somerville Theatre.

The 12-minute film takes place in the aftermath of the Boston Marathon bombings in 2013, and is based on the realization that their friend assisted in carrying out the attack.

Although the characters are fictionalized, the story behind them is very real. While most communities were able to heal together after the attacks, the friends of the Marathon bombers had a different experience. Connecting memories of a person they called a friend to the person who had taken part in this deadly crime kept them on the outside of the healing process most people were partaking in.

Jahar recently premiered at Tribeca Film Festival in New York, and director Henry Hayes said it was “well received.” He stated that he wants audiences to “open up to some degree” and view this different narrative about the aftermath of the tragic events at the Boston Marathon in 2013. He wanted to be clear that in making the film, he and Kanno-Youngs “do not want to compare their smaller pain to the victims of the bombings.” They are simply telling their story, a personal story.

The film was directed by Henry Hayes and written by Hayes and Kanno-Youngs. It was produced by Lizzie Shapiro and stars Devante Lawrence, Andrew Raia, Andre Ozim, and Alberto Rosende. It is playing at the Somerville Theatre on April 28 and May 2. Tickets are available online at http://iffboston.org.