CineZeit: Elaha

For 22-year-old German-Kurdish Elaha, her future seems set. Soon to be a bride, she is torn between her unconditional love for her family and her own aspirations. As her community buzzes with excitement about the upcoming marriage, Elaha struggles with the hidden knowledge that she is no longer a virgin. Knowing this would cause shame to her family and fiancé, she desperately believes she must "restore" her virginity. Ultimately, she is faced with a decision: to tell the truth or live a life of delusion. In her feature film debut, director Milena Aboyan brings to the screen a topic that is as personal as it is universal: sexual self-determination.  

Deutschland (2023), 110 Min. Kurdish, German with English Subtitles
Director: Milena Aboyan, Screeplay: Milena Aboyan, Constantin Hatz, Cinematography: Christopher Behrmann, Cast: Bayan Layla, Armin Wahedi, Derya Dilber, Derya Durmaz, Cansu Leyan, Beritan Balci, Slavko Popadić, Nazmi Kırık, Réber Ibrahim, Homa Faghiri, Hadnet Tesfai, Producers: Matthias Greving, Janina S. Hennemann (Creative Producer), Emina Smajić (Creative Producer), Production Co.: Kinescope Film GmbH (Bremen).
  SELECT AWARDS:
FBW 2024 - Prädikat: besonders wertvoll
Bayerischer Filmpreis 2024 - Bayerischer Filmpreis, Best Up and Coming Actress
Prix Europa Awards 2023 - Prix Europa, TV / Video Fiction, Best Feature
FIRST STEPS Awards 2023 - Götz-George- Up and Coming Award
Heimat Europa Film Festspiele 2023 - Up and Coming Award
Lichter Filmfest 2023 - Audience Award
Fünf Seen Filmfestival 2023 - Winner, Perspektive Spielfilm
Locarno Film Festival 2022 - Kaiju Cinema Diffusion Prize, First Look Works in Progress
Förderverein der Filmakademie Baden-Württemberg 2019 - Petra-Mosselman-Gedächtnispreis, Caligari Förderpreis