Honeyjoon
Competition Feature Competition
Thursday, September 17th 11:00am - 12:30pm
A surprisingly sexy, darkly funny emotional rollercoaster. In this layered dark comedy, June and her Persian-British mom Lela travel to the romantic Azores islands for a grief anniversary, with contrasting ways of coping. A hot philosophical surfer takes them on a tour as we surf the waves of life, loss, flirting… an unforgettable ride. In her award-winning debut feature, director Lilian T. Mehrel brilliantly transforms grief, desire, and human connection into something electric, introducing a visionary new voice.
Directed by: Lilian T. Mehrel
Genre: Comedy
Run time: 75 minutes
Awards: Tribeca Festival Official Selection 2025
Meet the Filmmaker
Lilian T. Mehrel is an award-winning writer & director with a visionary sense of feeling and humor. She is the winner of the biggest film production prize in the world for her debut feature, Honeyjoon, which premiered at Tribeca and 50 festivals, winning the Tribeca AT&T Untold Stories Award and multiple audience and jury awards. It is now in theaters with Utopia's Circle. Lilian’s films have also screened at Clermont-Ferrand and the AmPav Emerging Filmmaker Showcase at Cannes. She was selected for the SFFILM Rainin Grant, TorinoFilmLab ComedyLab, Film Independent Episodic Lab, Sloan Award, Nancy Malone Directing Award, Geri Ashur Screenwriting Award, NYSCA/NYFA Artist Fellowship, CineQuaNonLab, Film Fatales Episodic Directing Shadow Workshop, TFI Labs with YouTube/Google and Warner Media, and the Marcie Bloom Fellowship. Lilian earned her MFA from NYU Tisch Grad Film with a PDS Fellowship, and her BA from Dartmouth with a Senior Fellowship. She also enjoys hip hop dance.
“I didn't know that a trip to a volcanic island in the middle of the Atlantic ocean would change my life. I didn't know one year later, I would win the biggest film production prize in the world. As a filmmaker, my holy trifecta is dark comedy, layered emotion, and stunning cinema. When I see the potential for those to combine, the sparks of inspiration start flying. Turns out grieving on a beautiful island was the perfect inspiration for a (surprisingly sexy) life-affirming dark comedy... HONEYJOON. Surf the waves of life, loss, flirting.”
— Lilian T. Mehrel, Filmmaker
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