LEONA

A young Jewish woman from Mexico City finds herself torn between her family and a forbidden love in this intimate, insightful and moving drama. 25-year-old Ariela is an independent-minded artist living with her family, among Mexico’s close-knit Syrian-Jewish community. When she falls in love with a non-Jewish young man, Ariela is soon faced with the disapproval of her family and rejection by her insular Jewish community, where religious values and traditions run deep. As Ariela’s place within her family and community is called into question, she must negotiate the labyrinth of familial pressure, religious precedent, and her own burgeoning sentiment. There are no easy choices to be made, as Ariela struggles with her heart to navigate a path forward, to find her own voice and become her own woman.

Winner – Best Actress, Morelia Int’l FF 2018

 Content Advisory:  mature themes, sexuality, nudity