After being rejected from cheerleading tryouts because of her headscarf, Nayla, a teenage Muslim American girl, will have to find her own way to follow her dream without compromising her beliefs.
Acting
Kimya Marefat's silent defiance speaks volumes.
Direction
Casares packs a feature's worth of tension into 14 minutes.
Writing
The father's arc from obstacle to ally in three scenes.
Director
Susana Casares
Trivia, insights & behind the scenes
Released in 2013, this predated the 2016 Nike Pro Hijab launch and mainstream sports inclusivity conversations by years.
Director Susana Casares is Spanish; she developed this at AFI after being struck by the lack of nuanced Muslim American teen stories.
US
