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Drama

Shayda

- A love letter to mothers and daughters everywhere

Shayda, a young Iranian woman living in Australia, 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.

Release Date : 2023-09-28

Language :EnglishPersian

Adult : false

Status : Released

Production Company : Dirty FilmsScreen AustraliaOrigma 45VicScreenMIFF Premiere FundHanWay FilmsThe 51 FundParandeh Pictures

Production Country : AustraliaUnited Kingdom

Alternative Titles :

Cast

Zar Amir Ebrahimi

Character Name : Shayda

Original Name : Zar Amir Ebrahimi

Gender : Female

Selina Zahednia

Character Name : Mona

Original Name : Selina Zahednia

Gender : Female

Leah Purcell

Character Name : Joyce

Original Name : Leah Purcell

Gender : Female

Jillian Nguyen

Character Name : Vi

Original Name : Jillian Nguyen

Gender : Female

Osamah Sami

Character Name : Hossein

Original Name : Osamah Sami

Gender : Male

Mojean Aria

Character Name : Farhad

Original Name : Mojean Aria

Gender : Male

Rina Mousavi

Character Name : Elly

Original Name : Rina Mousavi

Gender : Female

Lucinda Armstrong Hall

Character Name : Renee

Original Name : Lucinda Armstrong Hall

Gender : Female

Bev Killick

Character Name : Cathy

Original Name : Bev Killick

Gender : Male

Jack Bonser

Character Name : Night Club Member (uncredited)

Original Name : Jack Bonser

Gender : Male

Eve Morey

Character Name : Lara

Original Name : Eve Morey

Gender : Male

Alanna Ha Quach

Character Name : Jill

Original Name : Alanna Ha Quach

Gender : Male

Avina Ha Quach

Character Name : Jenny

Original Name : Avina Ha Quach

Gender : Male

Luka Sero

Character Name : Tobias

Original Name : Luka Sero

Gender : Male

Shayan Askari

Character Name : Parviz

Original Name : Shayan Askari

Gender : Male

Zohreh Farid

Character Name : Maryam

Original Name : Zohreh Farid

Gender : Male

Tina Khabazian

Character Name : Mrs Bagheri

Original Name : Tina Khabazian

Gender : Male

Asal Daram

Character Name : Roya

Original Name : Asal Daram

Gender : Male

Catherine Glavicic

Character Name : Miranda

Original Name : Catherine Glavicic

Gender : Male

Nicole Gulasekharam

Character Name : Deb

Original Name : Nicole Gulasekharam

Gender : Female

Jerome Meyer

Character Name : Pierre

Original Name : Jerome Meyer

Gender : Male

Reviews

L

Louisa Moore - Screen Zealots

@screenzealots

2023-04-23

**By: Louisa Moore / www.ScreenZealots.com** The tenacity of a mother’s love provides the strong foundation for writer / director Noora Niasari‘s “Shayda,” a harrowing portrait of an Iranian woman who is doing her best to make the most of a terrible situation. This intimate story is one of female empowerment and endurance in a cultural system that often treats females as second class citizens. Shayda (Zar Amir-Ebrahimi) is a young mother who, with her 6-year-old daughter Mona (Selina Zahednia) has fled her horribly abusive husband Hossein (Osamah Sami) and moved into a women’s shelter in Australia. Shayda has bravely filed for divorce and is now an outcast in her own community. Constantly living in fear yet seeking a fresh start for herself and her daughter, Shayda struggles to provide a safe, calm, and normal home for her child. The two are getting by fairly well and enjoying their newfound freedoms until they get the troubling news that a judge has granted Hossein visitation rights. A dangerous situation is created when he reenters their lives and begins spending more time with his child, which causes Shayda to live in constant fear that Hossein will try to kidnap Mona and take her back to Iran. Niasari’s story explores the trauma of a sexually, physically, and emotionally abusive relationship and celebrates the sheer perseverance that one woman possesses when it comes to protecting her daughter from harm. This female-focused film addresses the cultural norms of Shayda’s home country of Iran, a place where women live with a lack of legal autonomy and have weak protections from serious things like domestic violence, and when they push back against discriminatory practices and laws, they are often arrested or given death sentences. It’s sad and infuriating how women are treated, especially those who are seeking a divorce. Niasari effectively expresses the agony, horror, and vulnerability that a soon-to-be single mother must deal with in order to liberate herself from a life of maltreatment. Amir-Ebrahimi gives a strong performance in the lead role, and she expresses a universal empathy and determination that is inspiring. Equally effective are Zahednia as a frightened innocent, and Sami as a charmer of an abuser who swears he’s changed (thankfully, Shayda knows better). “Shayda” is a solid drama that’s politically-minded, timely, and engaging. It can be tense and difficult to watch at times, but as the titular character begins living life on her own terms, things that once felt menacing now seem liberating.