TAHARA (Award Encore)

Winner of the NewFest 2020 Feature Directorial Debut Black LGBTQ+ Filmmaker Award; director Olivia Peace

Sometimes first loves come out of innocent flirtation; other times, they blossom at Hebrew school after a classmate’s suicide and years of gaslighting. Director Olivia Peace’s feature debut is a biting dark comedy about growing up, growing into queerness, and growing out of toxic, lox-and-shmear-fueled flings in the synagogue library.

Part of NewFest Award Encores
$10 Tickets
Free for NewFest Members
Madeline Grey DeFreece shines as Carrie, whose crush on her needy best friend Hannah (NewFest double-hitter Rachel Sennott from SHIVA BABY) is about to be put to the test. With an incisive script and cinematographic portrait of suburban Rochester, TAHARA was the breakaway hit out of this year’s Slamdance Film Festival. At turns hilarious, deeply felt, and screwed up in the way only teenagers can be, TAHARA is the coming-of-age story some of us could've used back when we didn't realize there was life after the bat mitzvah.

Cast: Rachel Sennott, Madeline Grey DeFreece, Shlomit Azoulay, Daniel Taveras, Bernadette Quigley
Writer: Jess Zeidman
Runtime: 77 minutes

This film was followed by a Q&A – watch below or on Youtube!

Olivia Peace