Deba Hekmat

Hoard is a tale of mother and daughter; it follows Maria first as a child in their loving routines; their nidus of joy full of catalogues of love. Both like magpies you see. Then as an 18-year-old navigating the past as it pays a visit; when a box of mother returns and a man called Michael comes to stay. The shimmering memories that she once suppressed begin to haunt her; as grief never really heals does it? It simply disguises itself in things.

Ziba is an ambitious and brainy young Londoner. Proud of her Iranian heritage, she is conscientious and sensible but also indulges in a certain romantic nihilism. Perhaps this is because of her passion for astronomy, or perhaps because she longs for happier times. Although she is the only member of her close-knit friendship group to attain good results in the end-of-school exams, she is struggling to remain optimistic. She and her friends want to spend the day together in the hot summer London and witness a unique celestial event. Secretly, Ziba is planning an irreversible step that – in her mind – will give her back control over her life. Caught between a deep passion for being alive and an overwhelming desire to end the pain and fear of her current reality, Ziba must learn to let go of her adolescent dreams and cope with uncertainty.