Sonita

Sonita

Rokhsareh Ghaem Maghami

DE / IR / CH
2015
Documentary
91’
Film Education

»Even an eighty-year-old man can marry a girl of sixteen.« – »But I’m sure if my song comes out, that will change, at least to some extent. I believe in my songs.«

Eighteen-year-old Sonita from Afghanistan lives in Iran with her sister as an illegal immigrant. She adores Rihanna, writes her own songs and doggedly pursues her dream of becoming a rapper. The young female musician has talent, which she hopes will enable her to plot her own future despite Iran’s restrictive laws, and avoid the destiny already mapped out for her by family and tradition. She gets help from a social organisation to overcome the trauma of fleeing Afghanistan and plan her future. One day, Sonita’s mother arrives and wants to sell her daughter to an unknown man – with her brother already counting on the resulting proceeds. »So I have to get married so Zaher can take a wife? That’s totally crazy.« She pours her fears and anger into making a music video that quickly attracts attention worldwide and opens up new doors for her.

In cooperation with doxs!


Awards for ›Sonita‹ (Selection)
World Cinema Grand Jury Prize: Documentary & Audience Award: World Cinema Documentary – Sundance Film Festival 2016 | Audience Award & DOC U Award – InternationaI Documentary Film Festival Amsterdam 2016 | One World Filmclubs Awards, Austria 2016

Director

Rokhsareh Ghaem Maghami

Cinematography

Behrouz Badrouj, Ali Mohammad Ghasemi, Mohammad Haddadi, Arastoo Givi, Torben Bernard, Parviz Arefi, Ala Mohseni

Editing

Rune Schweitzer

Music

Moritz Denis

Production

TAG/TRAUM Filmproduktion, Gerd Haag

Contact

Real Fiction

Rokhsareh Ghaem Maghami

Rokhsareh Ghaem Maghami studied Directing and Animation at Tehran Art Academy. She published her research in the field of animation in the book Animated Documentary, a New Way to Express. She has already completed six short documentaries and won numerous international awards. Cyanosis (2007) and Going Up the Stairs (2011) received recognition all around the world.


Films by Rokhsareh Ghaem Maghami
Going Up the Stairs 2011 | A Loud Solitude 2010 | Born 20 Minutes Late 2010 | Cyanosis 2007 | Pigeon Fanciers 2000