Soudabeh Moradian, assistant professor in the College of Visual and Performing Arts’ (VPA) Department of Film and Media Arts, recently premiered “The Mermaid,” a feature film that employed VPA students, alumni, and faculty across disciplines alongside professionals from the film industry.
With over 70 films and TV series under her belt, Moradian joined the department in 2019. When she saw an opportunity to involve members of the VPA community in “The Mermaid,” she moved the production from Los Angeles to Syracuse.
Students, alumni, and faculty who worked on the project included those in the School of Design, Department of Drama, and Department of Film and Media Arts. On Nov. 4, the film earned the ReFrame Stamp 2024, a mark of distinction to recognize standout gender-balanced films and TV projects by the Sundance Institute and Women in Film (WIF).
Based on a short story, the film project began as a psychological mystery drama, focusing on an immigrant woman trapped in a house and grappling with trauma and emotional abuse. Her life begins to transform with the arrival of The Mermaid — another outsider — to the house. Inspired by its claustrophobic atmosphere and classic psychosocial horror films, Moradian turned the project into her first “psychological horror” film.
“It was the first time I worked on horror, and I tried to bend the genre while adding elements of experimental narrative filmmaking to create a non-linear story,” she says. “I wanted the audience to be more engaged and involved, as opposed to just sitting back, enjoying a horror, and getting jump scares.”
As the main character unfolds the past, viewers need to actively piece the story together and its deeper layers come to light. Moradian hopes audiences leave with a greater sense of empathy and awareness for those navigating trauma, identity, and emotional abuse.
After a successful premiere and limited screening at the Laemmle Town Center in Encino, California, starting on Oct. 24, Moradian is seeking a wider release and exploring potential streaming platforms for the film. She also hopes to submit the film to festivals that align with its themes.
In addition to “The Mermaid,” Moradian is working on three other projects: a feature film called “Wild Berries,” currently in development, and two documentaries, “My Blue Sky” and “Paranoia,” which are in production and post-production and are expected to be completed by next year.
Moradian plans to show “The Mermaid” at Syracuse sometime in 2025. Recently awarded the 2025 New York State Council on the Arts grant, she is now able to showcase the film across New York while hosting educational workshops to raise awareness about the issues explored in the film.
“Everybody has been supportive throughout the past year for this project,” she says. “I cannot wait to have it premiere in Syracuse in the spring semester and share it with the Syracuse community that has been part of it.”