"A heartrending note of personal reconnection, of an individual finally on the path toward reconciling her various conflicting human impulses." – The House Next Door

Gender equality is a foreign concept in the Albanian mountains, where custom dictates that women must submit to an arranged marriage and commit to caring for their husbands. Invoking ancient law, pledging abstinence, eschewing femininity and living as a man is the only alternative. As a girl, Hana chooses this path and becomes Mark, but begins to rethink the decision during a trip to Italy years later.

In her debut feature, director Laura Bispuri crafts a complex examination of struggling against tradition and striving to find identity, aided by a disarming, near-silent lead performance from Alba Rohrwacher (also appearing in Hungry Hearts this year).

Sworn Virgin won the third annual Nora Ephron prize at the 2015 Tribeca Film Festival, awarded to female filmmakers with a distinctive voice.