17 days of festival: films, exhibitions, and talks. A sensitive journey around the world. Local presenters offered us profound insights into the cultures of their homelands. Once again this year, the festival featured a vibrant film program with selections from around the globe. The films were chosen and curated by young adults with refugee backgrounds — providing the audience not only with a view into the film culture of each country, but also a look behind the scenes. The films are like life itself: sometimes you laugh, sometimes you cry — and they always make you think.
The festival took place entirely online in 2021: Both the opening event and all films — including introductions, film talks, children’s programming, and exhibitions — were available to stream online.
In the documentary series “Ax û Welat,” viewers get to know a different village in each episode. This episode focuses on the Kurdish region of Ciyaye Kurmenc (Afrin) in northwest Syria. It is characterized by mountains, hills, the Avrin River, and numerous historical sites
After the Taliban took power, thousands of widows and single women in Afghanistan face an insurmountable problem: how are they supposed to earn a living if they are only allowed to leave the house accompanied by male relatives? A mother decides to disguise her 12-year-old daughter as a boy so that she can accompany her […]
For Rona, happiness means being there for her own children. Unfortunately, this desire for a harmonious family life is not so easy to realize. The family must flee. Misfortunes drive the peace-seeking family into a profound crisis. The son Azim tries to hold together the shaky foundations of the family.
Mbacke has lived in Germany since 2015. Born and raised in poverty, he left his family and homeland in Senegal to seek work and thus a future. In a short interview, he talks about the dangers of the journey, his hopes, and his fears. The short documentary about Mbacke’s journey shows that fleeing is not […]
Mujtabah Mirzai is an Afghan boy who fled to Germany in 2001 when the Taliban were in power in Afghanistan. After completing training as a stonemason in Germany, he was able to return to Afghanistan through UNESCO (World Heritage) to restore the Buddha statues destroyed by the Taliban.
I am showing this film because it is important to me to tell people in Germany that many people in Africa die from diseases simply because they have no money. Unlike here, there is no health insurance for everyone—meaning those without money die anyway. I find it sad that people die from all kinds of […]
After a hard day of work, Majid sits on the couch. He wants to relax, but a flood of news flows through his apartment, all the speakers, and his thoughts…
In a mix of documentary and keynote, Mahdi shows footage from his homeland that could no longer be reproduced today. Since the Taliban returned to power, large parts of the population live in fear. The unfulfilled desire for freedom has become everyday life for many again. Mahdi wants to show his audience the Afghanistan that […]
Three women who have been friends since childhood struggle with harsh working conditions, unfair pay, and sexism on a rose plantation. The flower industry in Uganda is known for paying meager wages to hard-working people. This film provides insight into the flower industry and puts the rose as a gesture of love into a completely […]
The film shows a group of young Iranian mountain bikers who dream of becoming world-class riders but face social and financial constraints on this path. Although the film focuses on a small group of young people, it reflects the search for joy and excitement in the everyday life of an entire generation.
The biography of an Iranian refugee woman in Germany whose asylum application is rejected. The court considers her recognition as entitled to asylum and her refugee status as extinguished. The reality of a helpless woman who pays the price for her politics and nationality.
In a small Russian village lives Gulchatay. The girl is only 17 years old; she dreams of becoming a nurse and helping people. One day, the heroine meets the charming Pavel—a Russian soldier from a military unit—and love blossoms between them. But at that very moment, Rustam, the son of the “village owner,” the influential […]
The film is about a girl living alone who struggles with mental health issues. When one of her neighbors enters her lonely life, she is able to take the first step toward a “normal life.”
“Cluster” is a Palestinian drama that simulates real stories during the war and siege of Gaza in 2014. The series was newly released in 2020. The message of the series is: Gaza deserves life, and the Palestinian is a human being seeking life and, despite the brutality and tyranny of the occupation, does not give […]
In this series, the curator himself plays the main roles. The series “Between Me & You” tells the story of two brothers from Afghanistan. One has just returned from France with many new ideas, while the other works as a serious criminal defense lawyer in their homeland. The series fulfills an educational mission by informing […]
