TALLAHASSEE

OUT NOW EXCLUSIVELY ON THE NEW YORKER

Cinephilia Productions presents “TALLAHASSEE” A New Yorker Screening Room Film 
Directed by Darine Hotait
Written by Hala Alyan

“Tallahassee makes an unconcealed nod to the loneliness and secrecy around mental illness, and the crushing solitude of lying. One of the triumphs of “Tallahassee” is its generosity. ”
— The New Yorker
“BEST SHORT FILM, AUDIENCE AWARD”
— Twin Cities Mizna Film Festival
“NOMINATED BEST SHORT FILM”
— Woodstock Film Festival
“NOMINATED FOR EL GOUNA STAR”
— El Gouna Film Festival
“BEST SHORT FILM, AUDIENCE AWARD”
— Boston Palestine Film Festival
“In Tallahassee, the director shows that no one should ever feel alone, no matter how isolated one may see themselves. Tallahassee extends that clarity to audiences while bringing home the feeling of celebration. The casting is on point throughout this really ambitious narrative.”
— Stephen Saito, Moveable Fest
“There was a certain authenticity to the reliance on the implicit, Hotait made the best of the 22 minutes in her use of poignant symbolism.”
— Amina Zaineldine, Egyptian Streets

On the day of her release from a psychiatric facility, Mira returns to her mother’s home in Brooklyn to attend her grandmother’s birthday only to discover that her sister has told the family that she was on a trip to Florida. Tallahassee is the portrayal of a young woman’s re-entry into the world, a meditation on the enormous task of life after grief. Framed in the context of diaspora, this film grants a glimpse into the struggles of mental illness, an issue often silenced and pathologized in Arab culture.

Narrative | 22 minutes | USA
Release date: August 4, 2021
Production Company: Cinephilia Productions

Cast: Hala Alyan, Cherien Dabis, Malek Holloway, Samar El-Zein, with Special Guest Samia Halaby
Producer: Ryah Aqel
Co-producer: Munir Atalla 
Executive producers: Hala Alyan, Darine Hotait, Bassema Yousef, Reema Dodin, Aya Al Blouchi 
Director of Photography: Kalyn Jacobs
Original score: Tarek Yamani
Editor: Liz Charky
Sound designer: Charles De Montebello 
Color: Jenny Montgomery/Company 3
Production designer: Camilla Adao
Costume: Lidia Ferreira
Made with the support of SEAT26 
Poster design: Maece Seirafi

Technical Specs
TRT: 22 minutes
Country of production: USA
Genre: Narrative drama
Tech specs: 23.98 fps | Stereo | Color | 2:35
Available screening format: DCP, 4K Digital File (H.264 or Apple ProRes)
Language: English & Arabic
Subtitles: English subtitles are available.

FESTIVALS & SCREENINGS

  • 10th Blackstar Film Festival ( August 2021, World Premiere)

  • 22nd Woodstock Film Festival (New York Premiere, September 2021)

  • 5th El Gouna Film Festival (October 2021, MENA Premiere)

  • Mizna Film Festival (September 2021)

  • Boston Palestine Film Festival (October 2021)

  • DC Palestine Arts & Film Festival (October 2021)

  • Arab Film Festival, Detroit (November 2021)

  • MENA Film Festival, Vancouver (November 2021)

  • 19th Regent Park Film Festival, Toronto (December 2021) 

  • Cairo Shorts Film Festival (December 2021)

  • Beirut Shorts International Film Festival (December 2021)

  • The New Yorker Screening Room (Exclusive publication, January 2022)

PRESS

The New Yorker | Film Review (January 2022)
The Moveable Fest | Interview (August 2021)
Egyptian Streets | Review (October 2021)
El Gouna Star | Interview (October 2021)