Ethnicity, Religion & Sexuality – on their own, each are heavily debated subjects, but what happens when they are thrown together in the form of two women – One British Indian, and one London-based Palestinian. From the award winning novelist Shamim Sarif comes 'I Can't Think Straight' based in modern-day London, following the journey that two women take to overcome the ethnic and religious barriers set in place by family cultural traditions after realising their true identities and sexuality. Coming out has its own issues, but when you have a family deeply rooted in heritage and religion, how does this translate on British soil?

Tala, a London-based Jordanian of Palestinian origin prepares for an elaborate wedding with her Jordanian fiancé, when she encounters Leyla, a young British Indian woman who is dating her best friend Ali. Spirited Christian Tala and shy Muslim Leyla could not be more different from each other but the attraction is immediate. Tala’s feisty nature provokes Leyla out of her shell and soon both women reveal their feelings for each other.

But Tala is not ready to accept the implications of the choice her heart has made and escapes back to Jordan where her chain-smoking high-brow mother finishes preparations for an ostentatious wedding. As family members descend and the wedding day approaches, simmering family tensions come to boiling point and the pressure mounts for Tala to be true to herself. Meanwhile heartbroken Leyla relishes her newly found sense of identity and selfrespect and moves on with her new life – much to the shock of her tradition-loving Indian parents.

Single again, Tala flies back to London – but it will take more than just a date set up by Ali and Leyla’s sister Zara to win Leyla back.

The Film ' I Can’t Think Straight' is novelist and screenwriter Shamim Sarif’s first outing as a director, a romantic comedy where both lead protagonists are women, and where the cultural backdrop forms an intelligent base for their journey towards selfawareness and each other. ‘The film has been described as a Working Title-style romantic comedy with a twist,’ explains producer Hanan Kattan. ‘I think the London summertime setting, and the overcoming of obstacles to the love story make I Can’t Think Straight a feel-good movie in the traditional style. But the girl meets girl storyline and the cultural references lend it an edgy, contemporary intelligence too.’

The international cast is headed up by Canadian actress Lisa Ray (Deepa Mehta’s Water – which garnered a Best Foreign Picture Academy Award® nomination in 2007). Her performance in Water earned her the Best Actress Award from the Vancouver Film Critics Circle. Other cast includes Sheetal Sheth (Looking for Comedy in the Moslem World), comedy actress Nina Wadia (Bend it Like Beckham, Eastenders, Goodness Gracious Me) and Antonia Frering and Rez Kempton (The Mystic Masseur).