Materna
New York Premiere

Materna

2020 Official Selection: Features
Feature | United States, Kyrgyzstan | 105 MINUTES | English, Russian | English subtitles

Jean (Kate Lyn Sheil), Mona (Jade Eshete), Ruth (Lindsay Burdge), and Perizad (Assol Abdullina) are four radically different women whose lives are separated by race, culture, religion, and class but connected by the complexities of motherhood. When they face a threat on the New York City subway, their shared isolation suddenly becomes a shared connection, inextricably bounding their lives together.

This utterly unique and original psychological portrait features impressive performances from its diverse female-led cast, grounded by a riveting script co-written by Eshete, Abdullina and director David Gutnik. An elegant, haunting score and stunning cinematography lend the diverse stories an authentic sense of intimacy, unafraid to tackle inherently divisive topics like abortion, suicide, homophobia, and racism with clarity and sincerity. Stylistically brilliant with the theme of motherhood woven throughout in innovative ways, this is a film that is universal in scope and urgent in timing. The collaboration between Gutnik, Eshete, and Abdullina has certainly forged a unique cinematic voice with this gripping directorial debut. —Sarah Dawson


Cast & Credits
Directed by
David Gutnik

David Gutnik is a Ukranian-American writer and director from Brooklyn, New York. Materna, Gutnik's debut feature film, was awarded Best Actress and Best Cinematography at the 2020 Tribeca Film Festival, where Gutnik was also nominated for Best New Director. Gutnik is also the editor of several acclaimed features, including Christina Choe’s 2018 Sundance Award-Winning Nancy. He was a 2017 Sundance Institute Fellow and received his MFA in Film at Columbia University.

Director
David Gutnik
Producer
Liz Cardenas, Emily McEvoy
Screenwriter
David Gutnik, Jade Eshete, Assol Abdullina
Cinematographer
Greta Zozula, Chananun Chotrungroj, Kelly Jeffrey
Composer
Andrew Orkin
Editor
Elizabeth Rao, Brúsi Ólason
Production Designer
Heather Yancey, April Lasky, Rasul Kochkorbaev
Executive Producer
Amman Abbasi, Jade Eshete, Assol Abdullina, Chantal Lian
Associate Producer
Emily McCann Lesser
Co-Producer
Katy Hallowell
Sound Design
Roland Vajs, Peter Albrechtsen
Costume Designer
Akua Murray Adoboe, Elvira Kochkorbaev
Music Supervisor
Lauren Fay
Color
Damien Van Der Cruyssen

Contacts
Press Contact
Scott Feinstein
42West
New York, NY 10036
Phone: 212 277 7555
BadShabbos@42west.net
* Rush Tickets available at venue except for
Beacon Theatre
Rush will be offered when advanced tickets for a screening or event are no longer available at venues other than Beacon Theatre.
The Rush system functions as a standby line that will form at the venue approximately one hour prior to scheduled start time. Admittance is based on availability and will begin roughly 10 minutes prior to program start time. Rush Tickets are the same price as advance tickets and are payable upon entry.

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