Shayda

The audience favourite from this year's Sundance Film Festival tells a powerful, beautifully crafted story of the persian mom Shayda and her 6-year-old daughter Mona, who have sought refuge at a crisis centre in Melbourne.

She has escaped from her violent husband Hossein during the celebration of Nowruz, the Persian New Year, and has filed for divorce. In her preliminary new home, she is trying her best to build new relationships and make new friends while also attempting to maintain the ones she had before. It's a potential way out of the captivity of a dysfunctional and violent marriage. However, when a judge grants Hossein visitation rights for Mona, it sets off a series of events with unforeseen consequences.

Zar Amir Ebrahimi, whom we know from the leading role in Holy Spider, delivers another brilliant performance in the role of Shayda. In her directorial debut, Noora Niasari also impresses with her craftsmanship, capturing both drama and an eye for small yet significant details. The story is inspired by domestic violence in her own upbringing.

Lasse Skagen

Director

Noora Niasari er en iransk-australsk filmskaper og med-grunnlegger av Parandeh Pictures. Hun har bakgrunn innen arkitektur, og studerte senere Film og TV ved Victorian College of the Arts. Etter flere kortfilmer debuterte hun med spillefilmen Shayda som hadde premiere på filmfestivalen i Sundance i 2023.

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