Don’t Be Late, Myra, a short film by Afia Nathaniel '03, is enjoying a stellar turn on the festival circuit, having won more than twelve awards, including the Oscar-qualifying Best Short Film at the Asian World Film Festival.
The short follows ten-year-old Myra, who misses the bus, her safe ride, which leaves her stranded in Lahore. Her journey home spirals into a tense fight for survival against the men who stalk her every step.
In an interview with Variety, Nathaniel shared that this story was born out of her own experiences. "I was only nine years old when I was assaulted in the streets of Lahore…I wanted to break the silence on it and claim this other space and question as to why should the shame belong to the victim only?"
Among its many wins so far, the film received the top prize at both the Bergen International Film Festival of NJ and the Montreal International Film Festival. It also won Best Short Film at Big Apple Film Festival, Soho International Film Festival, Martha’s Vineyard International Film Festival, Asian World Film Festival, and DaVinci Film Festival, among other awards.
In the wake of the film's success, the team behind the short has entered a partnership with women’s rights organization Equality Now. Equality Now works to end violence and discrimination against women on a global scale. Don’t Be Late, Myra will be shown at the organization’s 16 Days 16 Films Festival. Each film, made by a female-identifying filmmaker, shines a light on the brutalities of gender-based violence.
Nathaniel graduated from Columbia University with an MFA in Film Directing. She is an alum of Gotham, Tribeca Film Institute, Film Independent and Berlin Talent Project Market. Her work has received support from HBO, Netflix, National Geographic, Tribeca Film Institute, Cinereach, Women in Film, New York Foundation for the Arts, International Film Festival Rotterdam, SorFond (Films from the South), The Caucus Foundation, NYSCA + Hollywood Foreign Press Association. Nathaniel has taught Film/TV courses at: Columbia, Princeton, Tisch and Temple. She is also a generous mentor to other filmmakers through IFP’s Narrative Labs.
