Shayda (15)

An Iranian woman in Australia attempts to cut her abusive husband out of her life and retain custody of their daughter. At the start of Noora Niasari’s compelling drama, Nowruz, Persian New Year, 1995 is approaching. Shayda is trying to make it special for her daughter Mona, but it’s not easy – they are living in a women’s refuge. Shayda’s husband Hossein is due to finish his medical studies and return to Iran; she fears he will try to take Mona with him. With a quiet but powerful central performance by Zar Amir Ebrahimi, Shayda maintains tension
throughout and there is personal resonance to this interrogation of domestic violence.

Preview courtesy of Vertigo Releasing