Synopsis
Ava's life is dictated by rules. Coming of age in Iran, she faces pressure to conform to the expectations of her parents, her school, and her friends. When Ava learns that her parents were once flagrant rule breakers themselves, she begins to rebel against the very foundations of her society. AVA masterfully demonstrates how a culture of authority can force denial and detachment, particularly among young women during their formative yet vulnerable high school years.
Director Biography
Sadaf Foroughi is an Iranian-Canadian, Montreal-based filmmaker. She began her artistic career in 2003 by creating and producing short films, documentaries and video art. In 2005, she was selected to participate in the Berlinale Talent Campus with her first short film, where she was selected to participate in the Why Democracy? short film project, Une Impression. This short documentary 'Féminin, Masculin' (2007) was nominated for the Best Non-European Film Award at the Grand Off-European Off Film Awards in Warsaw, and won the Best Short Film award at the Oxford Brooks University Annual Film and Music Festival. Foroughi graduated with an MA in Film Studies from the University of Provence, and obtained a degree in Film Production from the New York Film Academy. She co-wrote, co-produced, and appeared in Kiarash Anvari's feature-length film 'The Pot and the Oak' (2017), which had its world premiere in the Bright Future Competition Section of the International Film Festival Rotterdam. Sadaf's debut feature film AVA had its premier in the Toronto International Film Festival in 2017. Ava was given a honourable mention as the best Canadian debut feature film and awarded the Discovery Section FIPRESCI Prize at Toronto International Film Festival 2017. With 8 nominations in Canadian Screen Awards, AVA had the honour to be awarded as the best first film of the year 2018, also the best actress in the supporting role.
Sadaf Foroughi