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Foreigner film image; woman creepily leaning into another woman

Foreigner

Standby What is Standby?

Set in 2004, Yasamin (Rose Deghan) is an Iranian teenager who has recently immigrated to Canada with her family. Desperate to fit in, she practices her English by studying sitcoms and succeeds in befriending three popular girls at school — mean girls with permanent smiles and soulless eyes. When her new friends convince Yasamin she needs to dye her hair blonde to be accepted, she takes their advice, but gets more than she bargained for when her new hair colour awakens a demon lurking inside her.

Vancouver-based artist Ava Maria Safai’s first feature is a humorous coming-of-age horror story that reimagines the immigrant high school experience as an internal conflict akin to demonic possession. Rose Deghan’s enchanting performance perfectly balances the darkly humourous and lighthearted tonal shifts of Safai’s screenplay — think Heathers meets Carrie. Foreigner is a charming and entertaining thrill ride, and a vengeful power fantasy that should prove satisfying for anyone who’s been told to go back to where they came from.

 

Oct 6 & 11: Q&A

 

Supported by

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Media Partner

Director
Cast

Rose Dehgan, Chloë Macleod

Credits
Country of Origin

Canada

Year

2025

Language

In English and Farsi with English subtitles

Film Contact
Content Warning

Violence, frightening scenes

PG

Open to youth

83 min
BC Spotlight Comedy Horror & Sci-Fi Talent to Watch

Book Tickets

Saturday October 11

7:00 pm
Closed Captioning Guests/Q&As Hearing Assistance Subtitles U18 May Attend
International Village 10

Credits & Director

Executive Producer

Nic Altobelli

Producer

Nicco Graham, Ava Maria Safai

Screenwriter

Ava Maria Safai

Cinematography

Saarthak Taneja

Editor

Ava Maria Safai

Production Design

Hannah Grace Nicholls

Original Music

Finka Wood

Ava Maria Safai headshot

Ava Maria Safai

Ava Maria Safai is a Canadian-Iranian filmmaker from Vancouver, known for blending sharp genre instincts with heartfelt storytelling. Her short film ZIP (2023) made history at Crazy8s and screened at Oscar-qualifying festivals like Uppsala and CINEQUEST, earning her a Leo Award. She is the artistic director of The Harlequin Theatre Society. Foreigner is her debut feature film.

Filmography: Inhuman/e (2021)

Altered States

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