Faya Dayi
ABOUT
A spiritual journey into the highlands of Harar and immersed in the rituals of khat, a leaf Sufi Muslims chewed for centuries for religious meditations, this intimate tapestry journeys into the dreams of youth under a repressive regime.
Jessica Beshir is a Mexican-Ethiopian writer, director, producer and cinematographer based in Brooklyn.Her short films, Hairat (criterion), He Who Dances on Wood (PBS) and Heroin (Topic), have screened in festivals and museums around the world including Sundance, Hot Docs, IFFR, IDFA, Eye Film Museum, and MOMI among others. Beshir has been honored with grant support from the Sundance Film Institute, the Doha Film Institute and the Jerome Foundation. Faya Dayi, Jessica’s feature debut premiered at the 2021 Sundance Film Festival and has won numerous awards including The grand Jury Prize and Fipresci prize at Visions du Reel, The Grand Jury award, Emerging artist award and the Filmmaker awards at Full Frame film Festival among others.