Part of SFFILM Festival
Hala
Guests Expected
Director Minhal Baig is expected to attend both screenings.
Description
Skateboarder and academic achiever, Hala, is a Muslim teenager who begins to have feelings for a classmate, Jesse (Jack Kilmer, Palo Alto, Festival 2014). Her newfound sexual desire creates friction with her conservative upbringing at home, especially when she learns a secret that threatens to unravel her family. With fresh complexity brought to the coming-of-age genre, filmmaker Minhal Baig makes Hala both nuanced and relatable, elevated by an exquisite performance by Geraldine Viswanathan.
Recommended for ages 16 and up
Content advisory: brief sexual content
“And yet, the way the gears turn in this film can also be extraordinarily moving. For one thing, [Geraldine] Viswanathan is incredible; as much of a witness to her character’s situation as she is an active force in changing them, her performance is vulnerable and self-possessed in equal measure, and often at the same time; while Hala isn’t always sure how to consciously balance those energies in her own life, the actress playing her knows how it’s done.” – David Ehrlich, IndieWire
Co-presented by
Minhal Baig has directed a number of short films and music videos. She has worked as a story editor on the sixth season of Bojack Horseman and as staff writer on the upcoming Hulu half-hour comedy Ramy. In 2017, Ryan Murphy’s Half Foundation Directing Mentorship selected her as mentee.
Film Details
Year 2019
Language English, Urdu
Runtime 94
Country USA
Director Minhal Baig
Producer Minhal Baig, Clarence Hammond, Jamal M. Watson
Writer Minhal Baig
Editor Saela Davis
Cinematographer Carolina Costa
Music Mandy Hoffman
Cast Geraldine Viswanathan, Jack Kilmer, Gabriel Luna, Purbi Joshi, Azad Khan, Anna Chlumsky
Print Source Applemovies@apple.com
