Three teenage girls from Vienna twerk in hijab and sing a pop song. A YouTube video of it makes them famous overnight, especially among Kurdish Muslims. Yesmin, the only one of the friends who is Kurdish herself, begins to distance herself more and more from her culture. Nati and Bella, on the other hand, seem fascinated by a world that is strange to them. When the girls meet two young Kurdish patriots, the situation threatens to escalate. A film about young people caught between social media and self-discovery, a story of rebellious young women.
Direction, Screenplay: Kurdwin Ayub | Cinematography: Enzo Brandner | Set Design: Julia Libiseller | Costume Design: Carola Pizzini | Sound: David Almeida-Ribeiro | Editing: Roland Stöttinger | Casting: Ulrike Putzer | Production Manager: Steven Swirko | Producer USF: Georg Aschauer | Producer: Veronika Franz | Producer: Ulrich Seidl | Cast: Melina Benli, Law Wallner, Maya Wopienka | With the support of: Austrian Film Institute, Vienna Film Fund, Comeback grant for film and TV productions | In collaboration with ORF Film/Fernseh-Abkommen
Production Company: Ulrich Seidl Filmproduktion GmbH | Wasserburgergasse 5/7 | 1090 Vienna, Austria
T +43 1 3102824 | E office@ulrichseidl.com | www.ulrichseidl.com
International Sales: Cercamon | Majara 1, #903 Dubai Marina PO Box 113 222 | Dubai, UAE | Sebastien Chesneau
T +33 6 21713911 | E sebastien@cercamon.biz | www.cercamon.biz
Austrian Distributor: Stadtkino Filmverleih und Kinobetriebsgesellschaft m.b.H. | Siebensterngasse 2/12 | 1070 Vienna, Austria
T +43 1 361 81 81 72 | E office@stadtkinowien.at | www.stadtkinowien.at
“As if shot by the protagonists themselves on their mobile phones, Ayub creates a documentary-like immediacy. You got the feeling the film should have won a few more prizes.”
taz
“The taut, almost documentary story-telling, embracing a broad panorama of contemporary society, is impressive. The spontaneity and freshness of the narrative is particularly compelling and gives the film that special something that makes it stand out beautifully from the crowd.”
rbb Kultur
Awards
2022 GWFF Prize - Best First Feature Film - Berlinale, Encounters
2022 Opening Film Diagonale Graz
2022 Thomas Pluch special price jury
2022 Wiener Filmpreis, Vienna
Festivals
World premiere: 72nd Berlin International Film Festival, 2022 (Encounters)
Istanbul Film Festival, San Francisco International Film Festival, Indielisboa, Flying Broom International Woman Film Festival, In-Visible Film Festival, Cultural Center Belgrade, Sprouts Film Festival, Pyeogchang International Peace Film Festival, Austin Asian American Film Festival, Karlovy Vary International Film Festival, Yerevan International Film Festival, Pula Film Festival, Burgas International Film Festival, New Horizons International Film Festival, Roffamonamour, Espoo Cine, Austrian Filmfestival Belgrade, Nashville Film Festival, Kinotrip International Film Festival, German American Converence Harvard, Madani International Film Festival, Film Fest Gent, Woman Make Waves Film Festival, Sao Paulo International Film Festival, Thessaloniki International Film Festival, Geneva International Film Festival, Internationale Kurzfilmtage Winterthur, Festival Univercine, Oulu Children International Film Festival, Castellinaria Film Festival, Goa International Film Festival, Red Sea International Film Festival, Trieste Film Festival, Göteborg Film Festival uvw.
Pressbook PDF: german/english
Pressphotos:
Posterlink
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