Poland / Germany 2024, 84 min, English, Kurdish and Polish, Hebrew & English subtitles
When she reaches Europe, Runa, a 16-year-old girl who fled Kurdistan with her family when ISIS invaded, sees her world crashing down around her. Belarus’ promise of a direct escape route to Europe turns out to be a cruel sham that ends in a dense, freezing-cold winter forest, where tragedy strikes. In the temporary refugee camp in Poland, Runa is forced to get her bearings quickly to secure a better future for her four younger brothers. Her sketchbook, where she captures scenes from her uprooted life in black pencil, is transformed in this film into chilling monochrome animated sequences, interwoven with stirring footage that sheds light on the global refugee crisis as it tells the moving coming-of-age story of a talented and promising girl.
Previous Festivals: CPH:DOX, Hot Docs
Across the Universe Beyond the Screen Competition youth