Scales

PLEASE NOTE: No showing of this film on Sunday, Aug. 15

Director: Shahad Ameen, Cast: Basima Hajjar, Yagoub Alfarhan, Abdulaziz Shtian, Ibrahim Al-Hasawi, SXSW Official Selection, Winner: Venice Film Festival, Carthage Film Festival, Singapore International Film Festival, Silver Screen Award. Arabic with English subtitles

SCALES is a visually stunning feminist parable set in a dystopian landscape. It follows the story of a strong-willed young girl, Hayat, whose poor fishing village is governed by a dark tradition: every family must give one daughter to the mermaid-like sea creatures who inhabit the waters, to ensure the village can continue their fishing expeditions. When Hayat’s father refuses, the girl becomes a pariah, considered a curse by the village and urged to sacrifice herself-—but Hayat has her own ideas about her destiny. “In her feature debut, Saudi Arabian filmmaker Shahad Ameen has crafted a gorgeously shot, grim fairy tale with little dialogue but much to say about the plight of women in her country and around the world.” —Kimber Myers, Los Angeles Times