Joika (2023)

Joika (aka The American) is based on the true story of Joy Womack’s attempt to become the first American woman to graduate from Russia’s Bolshoi Ballet Academy – the most competitive dance school in the world.

Critics Choice nominee Talia Ryder (Never Rarely Sometimes Always) stars as Womack, who oversaw the film’s choreography and trained Ryder alongside New York City Ballet principal dancer Daniel Ulbricht. Cannes winner Diane Kruger (Inglourious Basterds) co-stars as Volkova, the Bolshoi’s magnetic and masterful tutor.

Written and directed by multiple-award-winning New Zealand filmmaker James Napier Robertson, Joika won the Audience award for Best Film at this year’s Palm Springs International Film Festival.