Paloma Schneideman’s film Big Girls Don’t Cry gains festival acclaim

Paloma Schneideman’s debut coming-of-age film, ‘Big Girls Don’t Cry’, has gained significant traction on the international film festival circuit. Set in small-town New Zealand during the early 2000s, the film follows 14-year-old Sid, played by Ani Palmer, as she navigates adolescence, queerness, and the complexities of consent.

Since its premiere at the Sundance film festival, the project has won the Grand Prix at the Nouvelle Vagues film festival and received praise from various critics and actors. Kristen Stewart noted the film’s ability to unpack ‘subliminal trespass, and pain and strength’ with an ‘astounding touch.’

Supported by the New Zealand Film Commission, the film was shot in 25 days across Auckland and Ōmaha. Schneideman, who developed the project at the Jane Campion-founded film school Wave in the Ocean, aimed to explore the nuanced and often difficult space between consent and non-consent. The film is scheduled for general release in New Zealand and the United States on October 8 and 9.