Dalva
Poignant debut film about twelve-year-old Dalva who discovers that the love she shared with her father was not what she thought and must learn to become a child again.
Dalva lives alone with her father. One evening, the police storms into their home, arrests her father and takes her into foster care. As Dalva gradually befriends her new roommate Samia and social worker Jayden, she slowly comes to understand her past, and the deceit inflicted by her father.
For her first feature, Emmanuelle Nicot conducted her own research in a home for children from harmful family situations. She explores the ramifications of abuse with deep sensibility, in a hopeful journey to Dalva’s recovery. Lead actress Zelda Samson does a fantastic job portraying the rebellious victim. Winner of the Audience Award at the International Film Festival Rotterdam.