Shayda
Director: Noora Niasari Run Time: 117 min. Release Year: 2023
Starring: Jillian Nguyen, Leah Purcell, Mojean Aria, Osamah Sami, Zar Amir Ebrahimi
An Iranian woman living in Australia, Shayda finds refuge in a women’s shelter with her 6-year-old daughter, Mona. Having fled her husband, Hossein, and filed for divorce, Shayda struggles to maintain normalcy for Mona. Buoyed by the approach of Nowruz, she tries to forge a fresh start with new and unfettered freedoms. But when a judge grants Hossein visitation rights, he reenters their life, stoking Shayda’s fear that he’ll attempt to take Mona back to Iran.
“In her first narrative feature, Niasari, who based the story in part on her own experiences, demonstrates an astounding control of pacing and mood.” ~ Natalia Winkelman, New York Times