An introduction to Shayda
Notes from the introduction to Shayda (Niasari 2023) given by Dan Katz at our screening in August 2024… Better late than never!
Shayda is a 2023 Australian film written, directed and produced by Iranian-Australian director Noora Niasari, and executive produced by Cate Blanchett. This is Niasari’s debut feature film, and it premiered at the Sundance Festival in 2023, where it was entered into the World Cinematic Dramatic Competition. It was nominated for the Grand Jury Prize, and won the Audience Award. It also won the very lucrative CinefestOZ Film Prize and was selected as the opening film for MIFF.
Semi-biographical
I’ve seen the film described as semi-biographical, but I think it’s probably quite a bit more than “semi”. Niasari worked closely with her mother to write the script, even encouraging her to write a memoir, as her own childhood memories were indistinct and incomplete. It does deal with some heavy issues such as domestic violence,
Shayda is about an Iranian woman and her young daughter finding refuge in a women’s shelter. It is predominantly set somewhere in suburban Australia in the run up to Nowrooz (Persian New Year). The language is a mixture of Farsi (with English subtitles) and English. It features incredible performances from its cast: Iranian-French actor Zar Amir Ebrahimi as the titular Shayda, Selina Zahednia as her daughter Mona, Osamah Sami as the abusive husband and Leah Purcell as Joyce, the shelter runner.
Things to look out for
The film is set in 1995, and I don’t know what you know about aspect ratios, but in 1995 most TVs used 4:3 (widescreen films had black bars along the top). Watching a 4:3 film on a modern TV, the black bars are up the sides! The film uses 4:3 aspect ration and this choice, as well as being period-appropriate, adds a sense of claustrophobia - Shayda’s world feels much smaller and closed in.
This is a film of contrasts: themes of shame and connection, loss and freedom, home and isolation, trauma and healing, darkness and light, spring and autumn. It also addresses the complexities of culture and tradition, as expressions of repression and liberation.
The film has also proven to be very timely. As Shayda was in post-production, a wave of women-led protests were happening in Iran, including the establishment of the Women, Life, Freedom movement.
There is some archival footage over the credits of the director and her mother, so don’t leave in a hurry!
Further reading
Shayda review - an exciting new voice in Australian cinema has arrived - Luke Buckmaster, The Guardian, 4 Aug 2023
Aneeta’s violent husband tried to sabotage her Australian visa application. She’s one of hundreds to secure one anyway - Adeshola Ore and Sharlotte Thou, The Guardian, 7 Jul 2024
Shayda review - a moving, necessary picture - Madeleine Wilson, Little White Lies, 17 Jul 2024