Guy Nattiv’s ‘The Liberation’ Premieres at Telluride Film Festival

Guy Nattiv’s new film, The Liberation, made its world premiere on September 4 at Colorado’s Telluride Film Festival. The psychological drama will next receive its Canadian premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival, held from September 10 to 20.

Written by Nattiv and Noa Berman-Herzberg, the film draws on a true story from Nattiv’s family. It centers on Rita, a character based on his grandmother, a Holocaust survivor. Rita falls under the influence of a charismatic cult leader and leaves her family for an isolated women’s commune.

When Rita’s daughters arrive unexpectedly to persuade her to return home, they become drawn into the cult’s manipulative and emotionally charged world. Rita must then choose between the new life she has embraced and the family she left behind.

Nattiv has previously made Tatami, about female Iranian judokas confronting the Iranian regime, Golda, starring Helen Mirren as Golda Meir during the Yom Kippur War, and Skin, about an American skinhead. He also directed the Oscar-winning short film Skin.

The new film features Carrie Coon as Rita, Bella Ramsey and Odessa Young as her daughters, Lily James as the cult leader, and Tracy Letts as Rita’s husband. Nattiv’s wife and longtime producing partner, Jaime Ray Newman, also appears. The film was originally titled Harmony and was announced for Telluride on September 3, following the festival’s practice of keeping its tightly curated lineup secret until shortly before opening day.