''Maya Dardel'' is a 2017 US-Polish

drama film In film and television, drama is a category or genre of narrative fiction (or semi-fiction) intended to be more serious than humorous in tone. Drama of this kind is usually qualified with additional terms that specify its particular super-g ...

written and directed by

Zachary Cotler Theodore Zachary Cotler (born 1981) is an American filmmaker, poet, and novelist. His first film, ''Maya Dardel'', premiered in the Narrative Competition at the 2017 South by Southwest Film Festival and was acquired by Samuel Goldwyn Films and ...

and

Magdalena Zyzak Magdalena Zyzak (born 1983) is a Polish filmmaker and novelist. Her directorial debut, ''Maya Dardel,'' premiered in the Narrative Competition at the 2017 South by Southwest Film Festival and was acquired by Samuel Goldwyn Films and Orion Picture ...

, starring

Lena Olin Lena Maria Jonna Olin (; born 22 March 1955) is a Swedish actress. She has received nominations for an Academy Award, a Golden Globe Award, a BAFTA Award, and a Primetime Emmy Award. Mentored by filmmaker Ingmar Bergman, she made her screen de ...

Jordan Gavaris Jordan James Gavaris (born September 25, 1989) is a Canadian actor. He is best known for his role as Felix Dawkins in the BBC America and Space television series ''Orphan Black'' (2013–2017). He is the lead in '' The Lake'' opposite Julia St ...

, Alexander Koch,

Nathan Keyes Nathan Keyes, born Nathan William Gumke, (born November 28, 1985) is an American actor, known for his roles as Kevin Levin in '' Ben 10: Alien Swarm'' and Ansel in ''Maya Dardel''. Life and career Keyes was born in Washington, D.C., to Holly ...

, and

Rosanna Arquette Rosanna Lisa Arquette (; born August 10, 1959) is an American actress. She was nominated for an Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Miniseries or a Movie, Emmy Award for her performance in the TV film ''The Executioner's Song ( ...

. It premiered in the Narrative Competition at the 2017

South by Southwest South by Southwest, abbreviated as SXSW and colloquially referred to as South By, is an annual conglomeration of parallel film, interactive media, and music festivals and Convention (meeting), conferences organized jointly that take place in m ...

Film Festival and was acquired by

Samuel Goldwyn Films Samuel Goldwyn Films is an American film company that licenses, releases and distributes art-house, independent and foreign films. It was founded by Samuel Goldwyn Jr., the son of the Hollywood business magnate/mogul, Samuel Goldwyn. The curre ...

and

Orion Pictures Orion Pictures (legal name Orion Releasing, LLC) is an American film production and distribution company owned by Amazon through its Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM) subsidiary. In its original operating period, the company produced and released films ...

Plot

The film portrays the final weeks leading to the ambiguous disappearance of Maya Dardel, an internationally respected poet and novelist of Scandinavian origins, who has been living as a recluse for decades high up in the Santa Cruz Mountains of California. Maya announces on National Public Radio that she intends to end her life and that young male writers may compete to become executor of her estate. Men drive up the mountain and are challenged intellectually, emotionally, and erotically, until one of them begins to fathom Maya's end game.

Cast

- Maya * Alexander Koch – Paul *

– Ansel *

– Kevin *

– Leonora

Accolades

Cotler and Zyzak received Best Director for ''Maya Dardel'' at the 2017

Raindance Film Festival Raindance is an independent film festival and film school that operates in major cities including London, Los Angeles, New York, Vancouver, Toronto, Montreal, Budapest, Berlin, and Brussels. The festival was established in 1992 by Elliot Grove to ...

. The film won two awards at the 2017

Prague Independent Film Festival Prague Independent Film Festival (PIFF) is an international film festival held annually in August in Prague, the capital of Czech Republic. The festival focuses on independent cinema. Festival founder and director is Diana Ringo. History 2016 ...

– Best Screenplay and Best Actress (

References

External links

* 2017 films American independent films 2017 drama films American drama films Films about poets 2010s English-language films 2010s American films {{indie-drama-film-stub