Movies - Acclaimed Dark Comedy Shiva baby Opening April 2nd

By Mulder, 11 february 2021

“ I made the short film version of SHIVA BABY when I was 21 and in my last year at NYU. At the time, I was slowly realizing that the false “sexual power” I’d discovered earlier in college was burning out and unearthing an incredibly low self-esteem. As I got closer to graduating, my anxiety about what my future would look like steadily increased. Despite gaining independence and agency through my sexuality in college, I was still very much a child in my parent’s eyes. At this time, some of my close friends were sugar babies and like many girls at NYU, I briefly tried to be one too. For my final project, my professor encouraged me to write about something I knew and I felt that I knew sugar babies and shivas pretty well… ‘ - Emma Seligman

Shiva Baby is a comedy film directed by Emma Seligman. An international co-production of the United States and Canada, the film stars Rachel Sennott as Danielle, a directionless young bisexual Jewish woman who attends a shiva with her family. Other attendees include her successful ex-girlfriend Maya (Molly Gordon), and her sugar daddy Max (Danny Deferrari) with his shiksa wife Kim (Dianna Agron) and their screaming baby. It also features Fred Melamed and Polly Draper as Danielle's parents Joel and Debbie, with Jackie Hoffman and Deborah Offner in supporting roles.

Adapted from Seligman's own 2018 short film of the same name, it premiered online at the 2020 South by Southwest film festival, while its first public screenings were at the 2020 Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF), due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Shortly before TIFF, it was picked up for distribution and will have a wide release in 2021. The events of the film take place almost entirely in real time and at one location as Danielle explores her romantic and career prospects under the intense watch of her family, friends, and judgmental neighbors.

We had the chance to discover this film last September at the Deauville American Film Festival. Our review is available here

You can discover the official photos in our flickr page here

Awards and Nominations
Winner Best Narrative Feature Film, Indie Memphis Film Festival
Winner Outstanding Screenplay in a US Feature Film, OUTFEST
Runner up Best Narrative Feature Film, Out On Film Atlanta
Runner up Best First Film, Out On Film Atlanta
Special mention New Comedic Voice, Emma Seligman & Shiva Baby, Denver Film Festival
Nominee Best Canadian Feature Film, Toronto International Film Festival
Nominee Grand Jury Prize Narrative Feature, SXSW
Nominee Grand Special Prize, Deauville American Film Festival
Nominee American Independent Award, Denver Film Festival
Nominee Best International Feature, Calgary International Film Festival
Nominee Best Film, International Competition, Mar del Plata Film Festival

Synopsis :
A near college graduate, Danielle, gets paid by her sugar daddy and rushes to meet her neurotic parents at a family shiva. Upon arrival, she is accosted by various estranged relatives about her appearance and lack of post-grad plans, while her confident ex-girlfriend, Maya, is applauded by everyone for getting into law school. Danielle's day takes an unexpected turn when her sugar daddy, Max, arrives at the shiva with his accomplished wife, Kim, and crying baby. As the day unfolds, Danielle struggles to keep up different versions of herself, fend off pressures from her family and confront her insecurities without completely losing it.

Shiva Baby
Written and Directed by Emma Seligman
Produced by Kieran Altmann, Katie Schiller, Lizzie Shapiro
Starring Rachel Sennott, Molly Gordon, Polly Draper, Danny Deferrari, Fred Melamed, Dianna Agron
Music by Ariel Marx
Cinematography: Maria Rusche
Edited by Hanna A. Park
Production companies : Dimbo Pictures, It Doesn't Suck Productions, Bad Mensch Productions, Thick Media, Neon Heart Productions
Distributed by Utopia (USA)
Release date : March 15, 2020 (SXSW), April 2, 2021 (USA)
Running time: 78 minutes

Photos – Copyright Maria Rusche, Shiva Baby

(Source : press release)