The Other Side of The River
19 year-old Hala escapes an arranged marriage by crossing the Euphrates River to find a new home at a Kurdish Women’s Protection Unit – a unit which soon after liberates her hometown of Minbij from the Islamic State.
For her female fellow soldiers, the enemy is not just IS, but patriarchy in general, with the ideal of marriage as the ultimate oppressive institution. The brutalities these young women have experienced at the hands of their husbands and within their own families lead them to THE OTHER SIDE OF THE RIVER where they are trained in combat and educated in the feminist ideals of the Kurdish Women’s Movement. Hala is deeply inspired by these teachings and resolutely dedicates herself to the promise of not only freeing more women, but also liberating her sisters at all costs.
DOCUMENTARY
length: 92 MINUTES
screener: DCP; 16:9; COLOUR
sound: DOLBY DIGITAL
year of release: 2021
languages: ARABIC, KURDISH, GERMAN
WRITTEN, DIRECTED AND FILMED BY ANTONIA KILIAN
CO-AUTHORS ARASH ASADI & GUEVARA NAMER
EDITOR ARASH ASADI
PRODUCERS ANTONIA KILIAN (PINK SHADOW FILMS), FRANK MÜLLER (DOPPELPLUSULTRA) GUEVARA NAMER
CO-PRODUCER MERJA RITOLA
MUSIC SHKOON
SOUND DESIGN AND MIX STEPHAN KONKEN
COLOURIST SALLY SHAMAS
POSTER NAJI EL MIR
SALES AGENT SYNDICADO FS
GERMAN DISTRIBUTOR JIP FILM UND VERLEIH
GERMAN CINEMA RELEASE 2021
SUPPORTED BY FILMFÖRDERUNG HESSEN, FILMFÖRDERUNG HAMBURG
SCHLESWIG HOLSTEIN, FEDERAL MINISTRY OF CULTURE (BKM), GUCCI
TRIBECA FUND, YLE, AVEK, FINISH FILM FUND, WOMEN MAKE MOVIES
