The Other Side of the River
Original Title: The Other Side of the River
Finnish Title: Joen toisella puolen
Length: 96 min
Genre: Documentary
Year of Production: 2021
Writer-Director: Antonia Kilian
Co-Writers:Guevara Namer, Arash Asadi
Producers: Antonia Kilian / Pink Shadow Films (DE)
Frank Müller / Doppelplusultra (DE)
Guevara Namer
Co-Producer: Merja Ritola / Greenlit Productions (FI)
Editor: Arash Asadi
Original Music: Composed by Shkoon
Sound Design and Re-recording: Stephan Konken
Colourist: Sally Shamas
Graphic Designer: Naji El Mir
Production Manager: Komîna Film a Rojava / Sevinaz Evdike
Commissioning Editor: Erkko Lyytinen
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Festivals
04/2021 CPH:DOX – F:act Award, Danmark – World Premiere
05/2021 DOK.fest München, Germany
05/2021 Molodist Kyiv, Ukraine
06/2021 Biografilm Festival, Italy
08/2021 Der Neue heimatfilm #17, Austria
08/2021 Filmkunst MV, Germany
08/2021 Fünf Seen Filmfestival, Germany
09/2021 Flahertiana International Documentary Film Festival, Russia
09/2021 Syrian Doc Days, Danmark
09/2021 Achtung Berlin, Germany
09/2021 Millenium Docs Against Gravity, Poland
09/2022 Espoo Ciné International Film Festival, Finland
09/2021 Baltic Sea Docs, Latvia
09/2021 Sofia Documental, Bulgaria
09/2021 Helsinki International Film Festival, Finland
09/2021 Humans of Film Festival, Netherlands
10/2021 Nuremberg International Human Rights Film Festival, Germany
10/2021 Kurdisches Filmfest Berlin, Germany
10/2021 Chicago International Filmfest, USA – North American Premier
10/2021 Filmfest FrauenWelten, Germany
10/2021 DOCS.MX, Mexico
10/2021 KineNova International Film Festival, Mazedonien
10/2021 São Paulo International Film Festival, Brazil
11/2021 Docs Valencia, Spain
11/2021 Biberacher Fimfest, Germany
11/2021 Kassler Dokfest, Germany
11/2021 Duhok International Filmfestival, Irak
11/2021 Panorama International Coisa de Cinema, Brazil
12/2021 Rabat International Author Film Festival, Marocco
01/2022 Dhaka International Filmfestival, Bangladesh
04/2022 Zagreb Dox, Croatia
04/2022 Frauen Film Festival, Germany
05/2022 Global Cinema FF Boston, USA
09/2022 Europe on Screen, Indonesia
10/2022 Women Make Waves International Film Festival, Taiwan
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Awards
Hessischer Film- und Kino Preis 2021, HessenFilm 2021
VFF Documentary Film Award 2021, DOK.fest München
Shortlist for the European Film Awards 2021
Best Documentary Film, Fünf Seen Filmfestival 2021
Best Documentary Camera, Achtung Berlin 2021
Global Docs, DocsMX 2021
Best Picture Award, Kinenova 2021
Best Documentary Film EST DOCUMENTARY FILM
– Biberacher Filmfestspiele
Special Mention, Kassler Dokfest 2021
Best International Documentary Film Award, Duhok International
Film Festival 2021
Best International Long Film, XVII Panorama Coisa de Cinema
Festival 2021
Best Documentary, Dhaka International Filmfestival 2022
Best Documentary Film, German Film Award 2022
Special Mention in National Competition for WomenCirectors of
Photography, Frauen Film Fest Dortmund Cologne 2022
Sponsorship Award, Deutscger Dokumentarfilmpreis 2022
Filmpreis Glovale Perspektiven, Filmtage Globale Perspektiven 2022
Best Feature Documentary Film, London Kurdisch Film Festival 2022
Best Documentary, Das Kurdische Filmfestival Hamburg 2022
In order to avoid a forced marriage, 19-year-old Hala finds shelter across the Euphrates (North-East Syria), at a Military Academy for women. While learning how to fight, she gets inspired by the promise of freeing every woman. After the Kurdish military takes over her city from ISIS, Hala returns as a police force entitled to protect other women in danger. Hala finds herself ready to fullfil her greatest dream: to free her younger sisters from her father’s hand.
The threat of a forced marriage and the brutal stories of female oppression lead more and more women to the other side of the river. They are trained in a strict military-style, taught that they have to protect themselves with weapons against the patriarchic society. But is there freedom to be found in a military system in the middle of war?
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