Sony Pixel Power calrec Sony

Four Australian films selected for Sundance Film Festival 2023

08/12/2022

08 12 2022 - Media release Four Australian films selected for Sundance Film Festival 2023

Noora Niasari's Shayda

Four Australian feature films will screen at the 2023 Sundance Film Festival including writer/director Noora Niasari's debut Shayda which will open the World Cinema Dramatic Competition, and the world premiere for Run Rabbit Run from director Daina Reid. Talk to Me, directed by Danny and Michael Philippou (also known as RackaRacka) will make its international premiere and Robert Connolly's Blueback will have its US premiere at the festival which runs from 19 29 January 2023.

Sundance has a history of launching Australian works into the US market including You Won't Be Alone in 2022, Relic in 2020, 52 Tuesdays in 2014 and Animal Kingdom in 2010.

Screen Australia CEO Graeme Mason said, This is an incredible slate of premieres and I'd like to congratulate the teams on their selection for this world-leading festival. To have two feature debuts is a real coup, with rising talent Noora Niasari's Shayda in competition, and RackaRacka who have built an exceptional fanbase online now reaching global audiences with their feature Talk to Me. It's also wonderful to see a range of stories representing Australia, from the stunning natural beauty celebrated in Blueback and the modern migrant experience showcased in Shayda, to the gripping supernatural tales in Talk to Me and Run Rabbit Run which will no doubt have audiences on the edge of their seats.

Writer/director Noora Niasari's debut feature Shayda is produced by Vincent Sheehan (The Hunter, Animal Kingdom) and stars Iranian actress Zar Amir Ebrahimi, Osamah Sami, Leah Purcell, Jillian Nguyen, Mojean Aria, Selina Zahednia and Rina Mousavi. It will make its world premiere as the Opening Night Film of the World Cinema Dramatic Competition.

Noora Niasari said, I am thrilled for my debut feature film, Shayda to be selected for the 2023 Sundance Film Festival. It is an honour for us to be one of the Opening Night films, to showcase our talented Iranian/Australian cast and crew on the world stage and to hold a spotlight on the brave women of Iran.

Also making its world premiere is Run Rabbit Run, written by award-winning author Hannah Kent, directed by Daina Reid and produced by Carver Films' Anna McLeish and Sarah Shaw. The film, which stars Sarah Snook (Succession), received development funding under Screen Australia's Gender Matters Brilliant Stories initiative in 2015.

Daina Reid said, I am so thrilled to see Run Rabbit Run premiering at Sundance. It has been an incredible journey making this film and working with such a massively talented writer in Hannah Kent and our amazing leading actors Sarah Snook, Lily LaTorre and Damon Herriman. Indeed all our cast, our outstanding crew and wonderful producers. It is so exciting to see their work showing at such a fantastic festival.

After a preview screening at Adelaide Film Festival this year, Danny and Michael Philippou's feature debut Talk To Me, produced by Causeway Films' Samantha Jennings and Kristina Ceyton, will make its international premiere in the Midnight Section.

Danny and Michael Philippou said, We're so excited to be premiering Talk to Me at the Sundance Film Festival. It's surreal. Cannot process it. So happy!! We cannot thank everyone involved enough for all their amazing hard work and unbelievably kind support.

And after its world premiere at Toronto International Film Festival 2022, Robert Connolly's drama Blueback based on the best-selling novel by Tim Winton, will make its US premiere in the Kids Program and screen as the Salt Lake City Opening Night Event. The film stars Mia Wasikowska, Radha Mitchell and Eric Bana as well as newcomers Ariel Donoghue and Ilsa Fogg.

Robert Connolly said, As one the most innovative and distinctive film festivals and champions of cinema in the world, we are delighted by the invitation to launch Blueback in the US at the Sundance Film Festival.

A history of Australian titles at Sundance is available here.

AUSTRALIAN PROJECTS AT SUNDANCE 2023: SHAYDA

World Premiere, International Competition

Origma 45

Writer/Director: Noora Niasari

Producers: Vincent Sheehan, Noora Niasari

Executive Producers: Cate Blanchett, Andrew Upton, Coco Francini

Australian Distributor: Madman Entertainment

International Sales: HanWay Films, UTA

Synopsis: Shayda, a brave Iranian mother, finds refuge in an Australian women's shelter with her 6-year-old daughter. Over Persian New Year, they take solace in Nowruz rituals and new beginnings, but when her estranged husband re-enters their lives, Shayda's path to freedom is jeopardized.

Production credit: Major production investment from Screen Australia in association with The 51 Fund and financed with support from VicScreen and the Melbourne International Film Festival (MIFF) Premiere Fund.

Media contact: Anna Bohlin

RUN RABBIT RUN

World Premiere, Midnight Section

Carver Films

Director: Daina Reid

Writer: Hannah Kent

Producers: Sarah Shaw, Anna McLeish

Executive Producers: Nate Bolotin, Maxime Cottray, Deanne Weir, Olivia Humphrey, D.J. McPherson, Jack Christian, Daina Reid, Sarah Snook

Australian Distributor: Maslow Umbrella 387 Entertainment

International Sales: XYZ Films

Synopsis: As a fertility doctor, Sarah has a firm understanding of the cycle of life. However, when she is forced to make sense of the increasingly strange behaviour of her young daughter, Sarah must challenge her own beliefs and confront a ghost from her past.

Production credit: Major production investment from XYZ and Screen Australia, in association with Film Victoria, the South Australian Film Corporation and Soundfirm.

Media contact: Carver Films

TALK TO ME

International Premiere, Midnight Section

Causeway Films

Directors: Danny Philip
LINK: https://www.screenaustralia.gov.au/sa/media-centre/news/2022/12-08-fou...
See more stories from screenaustralia

Most recent headlines

05/01/2027

Worlds first 802.15.4ab-UWB chip verified by Calterah and Rohde & Schwarz to be demoed at CES 2026

Worlds first 802.15.4ab-UWB chip verified by Calterah and Rohde & Schwarz to be ...

01/06/2026

Dolby Sets the New Standard for Premium Entertainment at CES 2026

January 6 2026, 05:30 (PST) Dolby Sets the New Standard for Premium Entertainment at CES 2026 Throughout the week, Dolby brings to life the latest innovatio...

02/05/2026

Dalet Flex LTS Delivers Smarter Search, Faster Editing, and an AI-Ready Foundation for Modern Media

Dalet, a leading technology and service provider for media-rich organizations, t...

01/05/2026

NBCUniversal's Peacock to Be First Streamer to Integrate Dolby's Full Suite of Premium Picture and Sound Innovations

January 5 2026, 18:30 (PST) NBCUniversal's Peacock to Be First Streamer to ...

01/04/2026

DOLBY AND DOUYIN EMPOWER THE NEXT GENERATON OF CREATORS WITH DOLBY VISION

January 4 2026, 18:00 (PST) DOLBY AND DOUYIN EMPOWER THE NEXT GENERATON OF CREATORS WITH DOLBY VISION Douyin Users Can Now Create And Share Videos With Stun...

19/03/2026

The Rise of Streaming, Particularly for Sports, Revives Loudness Issues

Live sports production increases complexity, with dynamic audio levels and an overall philosophy that encourages transient volume spikes Fourteen years ago, Am...

19/03/2026

Advanced Systems Group Names Peter Thordarson as Technical Account Executive

Advanced Systems Group, a technology and services provider for media creatives and content owners, announced the appointment of Peter Thordarson to the newly cr...

19/03/2026

SVG Students To Watch: Arya Taymuree, University of Washington

For this senior from the Bay Area, the speed and pressure of live sports production play right into her strengths In the live-sports-video industry, the future...

19/03/2026

Grass Valley Expands Partnership with University of Pittsburgh Athletics, Upgrading Production Infrastructure to SMPTE ST 2110 IP

Grass Valley has expanded its long-term partnership with University of Pittsburg...

19/03/2026

Audio-Technica Debuts ATV-SG1 and ATV-SG1LE On-Camera Shotgun Microphones

Audio-Technica has released the ATV-SG1 and ATV-SG1LE On-Camera Shotgun Microphones, designed for use with DSLR, mirrorless SLR, and other cameras. The ATV-SG1...

19/03/2026

NAB 2026: Harmonic Enhances XOS Advanced Media Processor to Streamline Next-Generation Broadcast Distribution

Harmonic (booth W2831) announces updates to its XOS Advanced Media Processor aim...

19/03/2026

DAZN and Top Rank Sign Multi-Year Rights Deal to Bring Marquee Events and Historic Archive to the Global Home of Boxing

DAZN and Top Rank have announced a multi-year partnership that will bring Top Ra...

19/03/2026

IHSE and Cyviz Announce Strategic Partnership

IHSE, a provider of KVM systems, has announced a partnership with Cyviz AS, a provider of technology solutions for collaboration and mission-critical operations...

19/03/2026

Net Insight appoints Larissa Grner-Meeus as Chief Product Officer (CPO)

Net Insight has appointed Larissa G rner-Meeus as Chief Product Officer. She joins the company's executive management team. G rner-Meeus holds a Dipl-Ing. ...

19/03/2026

Leader Appoints Rob Stanley as Regional Sales Manager UK & Northern Europe

Leader Electronics of Europe has appointed Rob Stanley as Regional Sales Manager for the UK and Northern Europe. In the role, he will manage key accounts and ha...

19/03/2026

FIFA and YouTube Team Up in FIFA World Cup 2026 Preferred Platform Agreement

FIFA has announced that YouTube will be a Preferred Platform for the FIFA World Cup 2026. Under the agreement, FIFA's Media Partners will be able to publis...

19/03/2026

Upgrade to NCAA March Madness Live App Expands Multi-Game Viewing, Enhances Second-Screen Experience

New features across mobile, connected devices, and automotive platforms undersco...

19/03/2026

PSSI Global Services Welcomes Ben Bradshaw as Director of Product and Network Development

PSSI Global Services has appointed Ben Bradshaw as Director of Product and Netwo...

19/03/2026

NAB 2026: Cobalt Digital to Unveil Additions to End-to-End IPMX and ST 2110 Ecosystem

Cobalt Digital has announced its NAB 2026 product lineup, which includes additio...

19/03/2026

Sportradar Releases Industry Outlook on the Future of U.S. Sports Viewing

Sportradar has released a new report, Innovation in Sports Media: The Next Era of Sports Viewing, examining how the sports viewing experience in the U.S. is evo...

19/03/2026

Matrox Video's ConvertIP Awarded in Rai Framework Agreement Supporting IP Modernization Strategy

Matrox Video has been awarded a three-year framework agreement to supply its Con...

19/03/2026

Controlled Chaos: Inside the Mighty Production Engine Behind the NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament's First Week

CBS Sports' Jason Cohen and TNT Sports' Chris Brown lead the charge on n...

19/03/2026

Loud and Fun Is the Goal for NCAA Tourney Audio

A1 Dave Grundtvig and his team deploy plenty of mics to capture the sounds and energy from the stands as well the court March Madness is a tournament in which ...

19/03/2026

Spotify Marks 5 Years of EQUAL With EQUAL: The Podcast and Global Events

In 2021, we launched EQUAL, a program designed to address an industry reality that persists: Women artists, songwriters, and producers too often face fewer oppo...

19/03/2026

Toontrack release Transistor Organ EKX

Latest EZKeys 2 expansion arrives Toontrack's staggering collection of EZKeys 2 expansions has grown once again, and the latest instalment delivers a on...

19/03/2026

Roland preview Melody Flip

New generative AI plug-in due in May 2026 Roland have announced the upcoming launch of a new generative AI tool created in collaboration with Sony Computer ...

19/03/2026

Native Instruments CEO Statement

Nick Williams updates users on insolvency process Nick Williams, the CEO of Native Instruments, has released the following official statement regarding thei...

19/03/2026

Milab to restart production

Iconic Swedish mic manufacturer back in action Legendary Swedish microphone manufacturer Milab have announced that production is now fully underway, and mic...

19/03/2026

FT1-EMU plug-in from Freqport

Acclaimed saturation unit goes virtual Freqport's Freqtube FT1 (reviewed here in SOS February 2023) offers a convenient way to integrate real valve-base...

19/03/2026

SGL Carbon: Restructuring ensures earnings forecast and creates basis for new growth

The discontinuation of loss-making business activities as part of the restructur...

19/03/2026

Silicon Valley satire The Audacity premieres 15 April on SBS and SBS On Demand

Silicon Valley satire The Audacity premieres 15 April on SBS and SBS On Demand 19 March, 2026 Media releases From one of the writer/producers of Succession...

19/03/2026

SBS brings communities together at Bondi Pavilion for Harmony Week multilingual broadcast

SBS brings communities together at Bondi Pavilion for Harmony Week multilingual ...

19/03/2026

Clarification from SBS regarding Western Sydney expansion

Clarification from SBS regarding Western Sydney expansion 19 March, 2026 Media releases From an SBS spokesperson: SBS wishes to clarify some media coverag...

19/03/2026

Leader appoints Rob Stanley as Regional Sales Manager UK...

Test & measurement innovator, Leader Electronics of Europe, is pleased to announce the appointment of Rob Stanley as Regional Sales Manager - UK & Northern Euro...

19/03/2026

Accedo One and Magine Pro Officially Launch Leyra Deliver...

The recently announced joint venture between Accedo One and Magine Pro has been officially launched as Leyra. The new company will combine the two complementary...

19/03/2026

Lightware matrices are the go-to choice for signal manage...

Budapest, Hungary, March 2026 - Demand for traditional matrix switching remains strong across live events, rental and staging markets. With a reputation for rel...

19/03/2026

DPA Elevates 4097 Micro Shotgun With CORE Technology

DPA Microphones adds to its CORE microphone selection with the 4097 CORE Micro Shotgun, which delivers a new level of clarity, headroom and sonic transparency...

19/03/2026

Starfish highlights flexible TS Splicer releases and new...

Starfish Technologies will present the latest releases of its TS Splicer (Win) and TS Splicer (K8) at NAB Show 2026, together with a new Monitoring Dashboard de...

19/03/2026

TrueVisions Selects Bitmovin Observability

Bitmovin, a leading provider of video streaming solutions, has announced that TrueVisions NOW, a leading streaming platform in Thailand, and part of the TrueVis...

19/03/2026

Harmonic Enhances XOS Advanced Media Processor to Streaml...

Harmonic (NASDAQ: HLIT) today announced significant enhancements to its XOS Advanced Media Processor that lower the cost of broadcast distribution while enablin...

19/03/2026

Cobalt Digital to Unveil Additions to End to End IPMX and...

Cobalt Digital, the leading designer and manufacturer of award-winning signal processing products, and a founding partner in the openGear initiative has announ...

19/03/2026

Magewell Connecting Any Source Anywhere in Any Form Facto...

Magewell a developer of innovative, high-performance video I/O and IP workflow solutions will be at the 2026 NAB Show on booth C6113. In addition to several...

19/03/2026

Triveni Digital Expands NextGen TV Innovations and Suppor...

Triveni Digital, a trusted leader in ATSC 1.0 and ATSC 3.0 service delivery, data broadcasting and quality assurance solutions, today announced it will showcase...

19/03/2026

Imagine Communications to Showcase Purpose Led Innovation...

2026 NAB Show Exhibitor Preview April 19 22 Las Vegas Booth N.1328 Summary: At the 2026 NAB Show in Las Vegas, Imagine Communications will showcase the lat...

19/03/2026

Pebble demonstrates partnerships performance and future-r...

Broadcast playout leader highlights innovation and industry collaboration Pebble, the leading automation, content management and integrated channel specialist...

19/03/2026

Tuxera showcases stunning performance with Fusion SMB and...

Tuxera, a leading provider of quality-assured file systems and networking technologies, is highlighting remarkable advances in performance at NAB Show (booth N1...

19/03/2026

Intinor introduces enhanced SRT monitoring, HDR transport...

Intinor will showcase several new developments to the Direkt platform at NAB 2026, including enhanced SRT monitoring, expanded HDR transport capabilities and su...

19/03/2026

Caretta Research Finds Broadcasters Rebuild Live Operatio...

Broadcasters are rebuilding live operations workflows around IP delivery as satellite and dedicated fibre distribution decline, according to new research from C...

19/03/2026

Berklee Popular Music Institute's 24th Showcase Channels '80s Prom Nostalgia

Berklee Popular Music Institute's 24th Showcase Channels '80s Prom Nosta...

19/03/2026

Study: Creator Content Plays Growing Role in Streaming Habits

Share Copy link Facebook X Linkedin Bluesky Email...