Synopsis: On the day of her release from a psychiatric facility, Mira returns to her mother’s home in Brooklyn for her grandmother’s birthday, only to discover that her sister has told the family that she has been on a trip to Florida. TALLAHASSEE is the portrayal of a young woman’s re-entry into the world, a meditation on the enormous task of life after grief. Framed in the context of diaspora, TALLAHASSEE grants a glimpse into the struggles of mental illness, an issue often silenced and pathologized in Arab culture.

Director's Bio: Darine Hotait is a New-York based American Lebanese writer and film director. Her work focuses on the politics of identity, Arab & African diaspora, and science fiction. She has written and directed a dozen award-winning narrative short films that can be seen on SundanceTV, The New Yorker, AMC Networks, BBC, Forbes, and Outfest. Her work has received the support of The Sundance Institute, Comedy Central, The Independent Film Project, The Jerome Foundation, New York Council on the Arts, and New York Foundation for the Arts. Darine is the founder of Cinephilia Productions— a film incubator championing African and Arab filmmakers.

Film Website: www.darinehotait.com/tallahassee