Alia's Birth | |
---|---|
![]() Poster | |
Directed by | Sam Abbas |
Written by | Sam Abbas |
Produced by |
|
Starring |
|
Cinematography | Soledad Rodríguez |
Edited by | Sam Abbas |
Production companies |
|
Release date |
|
Language | English |
Alia's Birth is a 2021 independent drama film by Sam Abbas starring Poorna Jagannathan, Nikohl Boosheri, Maya Kazan, and Samuel H. Levine.
In April 2019, it was announced Poorna Jagannathan, Nikohl Boosheri, were cast for Alia's Birth, with Sam Abbas directing the film. Tatiana Bears, Nicole Townsend and Abbas were producing, with Sig De Miguel and Stephen Vincent co-producing. [1] [2] Shortly after the rest of the cast was released. [3] [4]
Abbas released exclusively via The Hollywood Reporter a contest for female-filmmakers to submit their short works to be included in Alia's Birth. The response was tremendous, with hundreds of submissions [5] He quoted, "While I can't talk much about the narrative, the importance of this short piece being female-directed is crucial, Alia's Birth is female-led, from the acting to behind the camera. I find it easier to communicate and collaborate when working with women. I grew up surrounded by amazing women, and my favorite films are led by women." [6] Abbas also mentioned that the winner of the short film contest was filmmaker Sindha Agha. [7]
In May 2020, The Hollywood Reporter released a first-look of the feature with major information. The film was shortlisted for the 2020 Cannes Film festival before the festival was cancelled because of the COVID-19 pandemic. Abbas made it clear that the film was for theatrical viewings only. It would never have a life outside of theatres; no DVD/Blu-ray/VOD release. [8] The film premiered on 26 August 2021. [9]
The Guardian was the first to review saying "the sudden onrush of biological imperative gives this footage a gripping undeniability and focus that this loosely collaged account of a foundering Brooklyn relationship has been searching for". [10]
Maya Rudolph is an American actress and comedian. Born in Gainesville, Florida and raised in Los Angeles, she is the daughter of singer Minnie Riperton and composer Richard Rudolph. In 2000, Rudolph became a cast member on the NBC sketch comedy show Saturday Night Live (SNL). During her tenure on the show, she played supporting roles in the films 50 First Dates (2004), A Prairie Home Companion (2006), and Idiocracy (2006).
Paul Franklin Dano is an American actor. He began his career on Broadway. He won the Independent Spirit Award for Best Debut Performance for his role in L.I.E. (2001) and gained wider recognition for playing a troubled teenager in Little Miss Sunshine (2006). For playing identical twins in Paul Thomas Anderson's period drama There Will Be Blood (2007), he was nominated for the BAFTA Award for Best Supporting Actor.
Samuel Levinson is an American filmmaker and actor. He is the son of Academy Award-winning director Barry Levinson. In 2010, he received his first writing credit as a co-writer for the action comedy film Operation: Endgame. The following year, he made his directorial film debut with Another Happy Day (2011), which premiered at Sundance Film Festival. He then received a writing credit on his father's HBO television film The Wizard of Lies (2017). He continued writing and directing for the feature films Assassination Nation (2018) and Malcolm & Marie (2021).
Samara Weaving is an Australian actress and model. She began her career in her home country, playing Kirsten Mulroney on the drama series Out of the Blue (2008). She came to prominence with her portrayal of Indi Walker on the soap opera Home and Away (2009–2013), for which she received an Australian Academy of Cinema and Television Arts (AACTA) nomination for Best Female Performance.
Poorna Jagannathan is an American producer and actress of Indian descent. She is known for her portrayal of Safar Khan in the HBO drama miniseries The Night Of, as well for her role as Nalini Vishwakumar in the Netflix teen comedy series Never Have I Ever by Mindy Kaling.
Circumstance is a 2011 French-Iranian-American dramatic film written and directed by Maryam Keshavarz starring Nikohl Boosheri, Sarah Kazemy, Reza Sixo Safai and Keon Alexander. It explores homosexuality in modern Iran, among other subjects.
Nikohl Boosheri is a Canadian actress. She is best known for her role as Adena El-Amin on Freeform's The Bold Type.
Megan Griffiths is a film and television director who resides in Seattle, Washington, U.S., and is a board member of Northwest Film Forum.
Maya Ray Thurman Hawke is an American actress and singer. The daughter of actors Uma Thurman and Ethan Hawke, she began her career in modeling. She made her screen debut as Jo March in the 2017 BBC adaptation of Little Women.
Willa Fitzgerald is an American actress. She is known for her starring role as Emma Duval in MTV's Scream. She has played cheer coach Colette French in the USA Network's television drama series Dare Me and officer Roscoe Conklin in the Amazon Prime Video television series Reacher. Her other notable roles include Amazon Studios' television series Alpha House, the USA Network's drama series Royal Pains, and Netflix's horror miniseries The Fall of the House of Usher.
Gypsy is an American drama streaming television series created by Lisa Rubin for Netflix. Naomi Watts stars as Jean Holloway, a psychologist who secretly infiltrates the private lives of her patients. Billy Crudup co-stars as her husband Michael. The first season comprises 10 episodes and was released on June 30, 2017.
Lashana Lynch is a British actress. She is best known for playing the role of Rosaline Capulet in the ABC period drama series Still Star-Crossed (2017), Maria Rambeau in the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) films Captain Marvel (2019), Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness (2022), and The Marvels (2023), MI6 agent Nomi in the James Bond film No Time to Die (2021), and as Izogie in The Woman King (2022).
Share is a 2019 coming-of-age drama film, written and directed by Pippa Bianco, based upon Bianco's short film of the same name. It stars Rhianne Barreto, Charlie Plummer, Poorna Jagannathan, J. C. Mackenzie, Nicholas Galitzine, and Lovie Simone.
Sam Abbas is an Egyptian film director, screenwriter, and producer. He is noted for his artfully composed, poetic, and incident-like tableaus film style.
The Wedding is a 2018 film directed by Sam Abbas and starring Nikohl Boosheri, Sam Abbas, Harry Aspinwall, James Penfold, and Hend Ayoub.
Defending Jacob is an American crime drama miniseries, based on the 2012 novel of the same name by William Landay, produced by Apple TV+. The series was created and written by Mark Bomback and directed by Morten Tyldum. It stars Chris Evans, Michelle Dockery, Jaeden Martell, Cherry Jones, Pablo Schreiber, Betty Gabriel, Sakina Jaffrey and J.K. Simmons. It premiered on April 24, 2020, and concluded on May 29, 2020.
Khaneshia Smith, known professionally as KJ Smith, is an American actress, known for her roles as Sasha Duncan in the BET drama series, The Family Business, and as Andrea "Andi" Barnes in the comedy-drama, Sistas.
Wolves is an upcoming American psychological action-thriller film written and directed by Jon Watts. It stars and is co-produced by George Clooney and Brad Pitt. It is set to be released on Apple TV+ under Apple Original Films.
Turtles All the Way Down is an upcoming American romantic drama film based on the 2017 novel of the same name by John Green. The film is directed by Hannah Marks from a screenplay by Elizabeth Berger and Isaac Aptaker, and stars Isabela Merced. The story centers on a 16-year-old with obsessive–compulsive disorder (Merced) who pursues the disappearance of a billionaire.
Goodrich is an upcoming American comedy film written and directed by Hallie Meyers-Shyer. The film stars Michael Keaton and Mila Kunis.