NARRATIVE COMPETITION

EAST COAST PREMIERE, NARRATIVE FEATURE, AUSTRALIA, 2023, 117 MINUTES, ENGLISH/FARSI

The brilliant Zar Amir Ebrahimi (2022 Best Actress Award winner at Cannes for HOLY SPIDER) stars as Shayda, an Iranian woman living in Australia who flees her husband Hossein (Osamah Sami) and finds refuge in a women’s shelter, with her frightened 6-year-old daughter Mona (Selina Zahednia) in tow. When a judge grants Hossein visitation rights, Shayda fears that he might attempt to take Mona back to Iran. Winner of the Sundance Audience Award, director Noora Niasari’s powerful debut feature—based on her own childhood—is a beautifully crafted portrayal of courage and compassion that captures the radiant soul of a woman who boldly reclaims her human rights. A Sony Pictures Classics release. Australia’sAcademyAwardsubmissionforBestInternationalFeature.

DIRECTOR/SCREENWRITER: Noora Niasari

PRODUCERS: Vincent Sheehan, Noora Niasari

Shayda

10/8 11:15AM EAST HAMPTON - UA3 10/12 5PM EAST HAMPTON - UA2

Tiger Stripes

10/7 2PM EAST HAMPTON - UA3

10/9 8:30PM EAST HAMPTON - UA1

Jury

Arianna Bocco

With over 30 years of experience, Arianna Bocco is considered one of the most seasoned and powerful content strategy and distribution leaders in the independent film industry. Most recently, Bocco served as the President of IFC Films, leading the acquisition of over 600 films and developing longlasting relationships with renowned, award-winning filmmakers. Prior to IFC Films, Bocco worked in independent feature packaging at the Gersh Agency in New York City and at Miramax Films as Senior Vice President of Acquisitions. Bocco is a member of the executive board of AMPAS and of BAFTA, previously having served as Chair of the NY Board of BAFTA.

EXECUTIVE PRODUCERS: Cate Blanchett, Andrew Upton, Coco Francini, Caitlin Gold, Lindsay Lanzillotta, Lois Scott

CAST: Zar Amir Ebrahimi, Osamah Sami, Leah Purcell, Jillian Nguyen, Mojean Aria, Rina Mousavi, Selina Zahednia

NEW YORK PREMIERE, NARRATIVE FEATURE, MALAYSIA/TAIWAN/ SINGAPORE/FRANCE/GERMANY/THE NETHERLANDS/INDONESIA/ QATAR, 2023, 95 MINUTES, MALAY

When rebellious and carefree 12-year-old Zaffan (Zafreen Zairizal) becomes the first of her friends to experience puberty, she discovers a terrifying secret about her body. Undergoing horrifying, surreal physical changes, she quickly becomes ostracized from her former friends and her rural Muslim Malaysian community. To fight back, Zaffan must embrace the body she fears, revealing the entirety of her wrath, rage and beauty. Winner of the Critics Week Grand Jury Prize at Cannes, first-time director Amanda Nell Eu plays in the space of myths and folktales to tell a personal, empowering story dissecting the horrors and triumphs of coming of age in a woman’s body. A Dark Star Pictures release.

DIRECTOR/SCREENWRITER: Amanda Nell Eu

PRODUCERS: Foo Fei Ling, Patrick Mao Huang, Fran Borgia, Juliette Lepoutre, Pierre Menahem, Jonas Wyedemann, Ellen Havenith, Yulia Evina Bhara

CAST: Zafreen Zairizal, Deena Ezral, Piqa, Shaheizy Sam, Jun Lojong, Khairunazwan Rodzy, Fatimah Abu Bakar

David Koepp

David Koepp has written or co-written the screenplays for more than 30 films, including CARLITO’S WAY, JURASSIC PARK, MISSION: IMPOSSIBLE, PANIC ROOM, SPIDER-MAN, WAR OF THE WORLDS, INDIANA JONES AND THE KINGDOM OF THE CRYSTAL SKULL, ANGELS & DEMONS and KIMI. Other written works include the novels ColdStorageand Aurora, published by HarperCollins, and the story “Yard Work,” an Audible Original. As a director, his work includes the films STIR OF ECHOES, SECRET WINDOW, GHOST TOWN, PREMIUM RUSH and YOU SHOULD HAVE LEFT.

Matt Singer

Matt Singer is the editor and film critic of screencrush.com, and the current chair of the New York Film Critics Circle. He has been a frequent contributor to the TV series CBSSaturday Morningand EbertPresentsAttheMovies, and his writing has also appeared in print and online at TheVillageVoice,TheDissolveand Indiewire He is the author of three books; his latest, OpposableThumbs:HowSiskel& EbertChangedMoviesForever, goes on sale on October 24.

Angel Applicant

10/7 2:30PM SAG HARBOR - SHC2

10/8 11AM EAST HAMPTON - UA4