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Nightsiren film image, director Tereza Nvotová

Nightsiren

Světlonoc

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Canadian Premiere

Tereza Nvotová follows up her critically acclaimed feature debut, Filthy, with this lush, atmospheric genre piece that masterfully mines regional superstitions and witch lore as she continues to interrogate female trauma and toxic patriarchal structures at the heart of destructive social dynamics.

The film centers on Šarlota, a young woman that shows up in a remote Slovakian mountain village looking for answers about her tragic family past. But her sudden presence is met with suspicion and mistrust from the small community. This draws out Mira, a local loner who takes an interest in the mysterious newcomer and decides to take her under her wing. As the two women bond and start challenging the wider status quo, their fearless and independent ways ruffle some feathers, and it’s not long before the pitchforks are out for them.

A heady mix of arresting visuals, genre thrills, rich character dynamics, and sharp social commentary, Nightsiren occupies that coveted space of mainstream appeal and intimate, character-driven storytelling that casts a potent cinematic spell.

 

Pardo d’oro for Best Film, Locarno 2022

 

Presented by

Director
Cast

Natália Germáni, Eva Mores, Juliána Brutovská, Iva Bittová, Jana Oľhová, Marek Geišberg

Credits
Country of Origin

Slovakia/Czech Republic

Year

2022

Language

In Slovak with English subtitles

Links
Content Warning

Gender or Sexual Discrimination

18+

At VIFF Centre — Vancity Theatre

19+

At The Rio

109 min
Award Winners Women Directors

Book Tickets

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Credits

Producer

Miloš Lochman

Screenwriter

Barbora Námerová, Tereza Nvotová

Cinematography

Federico Cesca

Editor

Pavel Hrdlička, Thibault Hague

Production Design

Tomáš Berka

Original Music

Pjoni, Rob

Director

Tereza Nvotová headshot, Nightsiren director

Tereza Nvotová

Tereza Nvotová was born in Trnava, Czechoslovakia in 1988. Her debut film, Filthy (2017), premiered at International Film Festival Rotterdam and won many awards at festivals worldwide. Her HBO documentary, The Lust for Power (2017), was critically acclaimed and has caused heated debate about populism and corruption in politics. She is currently working on her third feature, Father, and the TV miniseries Convictions and The Nurse.

Filmography: Filthy (2017); The Lust for Power (2017)