Sonne

Teenager Yesmin and her friends do what all girls their age do: they shoot video clips which they share on social media, they experiment with make-up and alcohol, and occasionally borrow something from their mum’s wardrobe. But when the girls put on hijabs and strut about singing “Losing My Religion”, their video becomes a viral hit which starts to corrode their relations with family and friends. In her semiautobiographical story, the debuting director returns to familiar thorny ground – the nebulous identity of second generation immigrants, the double standards of Muslim households, and the complex process of becoming a woman amid stringent religious rules. To this familiar combination Kurdwin Ayub introduces an unusual visual form, a charismatic female lead, and disarming sincerity. (Karlovy Vary International Film Festival)