The Other Side of the River
Antonia Kilian (DoP)
Special Mention
Statement of the Jury (Isabelle Casez, Birgit Guðjonsdottir, Sabine Panossian)
»›I have lived without a man for 20 years, I can live without one for 100 more.‹ To avoid a forced marriage, 19-year-old Hala escapes Minbic in northern Syria and finds shelter on the other side of the Euphrates with the Kurdish military. In Rojava, she learns to fight and gains the self-confidence she needs to protect herself and other women against violence. When she returns to her hometown to rescue her younger sisters, she realises not everyone sees things her way.
We were impressed both by the protagonist and by Antonia Kilian, who takes over the camerawork in her directorial debut and has crafted a compelling thriller of a documentary about women who fight to control their own lives. There are frequent glimpses of freedom: a billowing curtain, a car journey with windblown hair, a carefree swim in the Euphrates.
Hala’s drama is played out for the most part in images. Kilian’s feel for space and efficient storytelling are key to the film’s extraordinary visual strength. The film-maker reflects on her own motivation, and can actually be seen in the film. She deals with film-making and the influence on authenticity and truth of image production both critically and creatively. We were deeply impressed by Kilian’s achievements and the result of her one-woman show.«
Guest: Antonia Kilian
This film has been nominated for the Audience Award endowed with 1,000 euro. Please vote after watching the movie.
You can find an overview of all nominated films here.
Antonia Kilian (DoP)
Antonia Kilian, geboren 1986, ist Regisseurin, Kamerafrau und Produzentin. Sie studierte Visuelle Kommunikation sowie Kunst und Medien an der Universität der Künste Berlin, außerdem Kinematografie an der Filmuniversität Babelsberg KONRAD WOLF und an der ISA in Havanna, Kuba. Sie war Kamerafrau bei zahlreichen Kurz- und Langfilmen, sowohl Spiel- als auch Dokumentarfilmen, die auf Festivals weltweit gezeigt wurden. Sie hat Videoinstallationen geschaffen und bei mehreren dokumentarischen Kurzfilmen Regie geführt. Über ein Jahr lebte sie in Nordostsyrien, wo sie das Material für ihr Regiedebüt in Spielfilmlänge, The Other Side of the River drehte. Sie lebt und arbeitet zwischen Kassel und Berlin und leitet ihre eigene Produktionsfirma Pink Shadow Films.
