Shayda (out Oct 5) is Australia's entry for Best International Feature at next year’s Academy Awards and is a superb, thought-provoking piece of cinema. Inspired by the upbringing of writer-director Noora Niasari, the film is set in 1990s and is centred on an Iranian mother living in a women’s shelter in Melbourne. The cast are meticulous in imparting each character’s emotions onto the audience. Grade: A-.