Director: Susana Casares

Englisht title:  Tryouts

Original title:  Tryouts

2013/ USA/ HD/ 14’/ Fiction/ Color

Synopsis

Being a teenager isn't easy, especially for Nayla, a Muslim-American girl who wants to join her high school's cheerleading squad.

Filmography

Susana Casares is a Spanish filmmaker based in Los Angeles. Winner of the Academy of Television Arts and Sciences prestigious College Television Award in Drama, her narrative and documentary work has been shown in festivals and art institutions around the world. Susana received both the Hollywood Foreign Press Association Award and the Mary Pickford Award for two consecutive years, as well as the support of institutions such as the Tribeca Film Institute and IDFA. She is a Berlinale Talent Campus participant, a Telluride fellow and a Film Independent fellow. Susana was showcased in Variety's 2013 Cannes edition as one of the 10 Spanish talents on the rise.

Script:  Susana Casares; Photography:  Monika Lenczewska; Editing: Susana Casares; Music: Robert Lydecker; Sound:  Brandon Jones; Leading actors: Kimya Marefat, Marissa Clifford, Johanna Trujillo, Joey Naber, Azzie Amani; Producer: Susana Casares

Awards

Winner Best Drama • EMMY's Foundation College Television Award • Academy of Television Arts and Sciences 2013; • Official Selection - 51st New York International Film Festival – Film Society Lincoln Center; • Winner - New Filmmakers from Spain - Recent Spanish Cinema • ICAA-EGEDA; • Winner "Cinema Without Bordersm" Special Jury Award • Palm Springs ShortFest 2013; • Winner "Challenging Reality Award\" - Seoul International Youth Film Festival; • Winner Best Short - Festival de Cortos de Vitoria-Gasteiz Cortada; • Winner Silver Award - Beijing Film Academy Film Festival; • Winner Best Student Film • Evolution International Film Festival 2013; • Official Selection – Festival de Cine de Malaga;