The 37th annual St. John’s International Women’s Film Festival opened last night with local film Purgatory directed by Lindsay Lanzillotta.

Lanzillota’s directorial debut tells the story of a young girl navigating her parents’ divorce. She tries to get them back together ‘Parent Trap’ style.

Lanzillotta says having her work chosen for the festival’s opening was a “massive honour.”

Last year she attended the festival and she and her writer talked about bringing a film to this year’s event.

“It felt like a dream,” she says. “It’s wild to be celebrated like this. It feels very special.”