3096 Days

On March 9th, 1998, 10-year-old Natascha Kampusch is abducted on her way to school. In an instant, Natascha's world has changed forever. She finds herself held captive in a dark, windowless cellar. The only person she sees is her kidnapper, Wolfgang Priklopil. As the years go by, he plays cruel mind games and mercilessly exploits Natascha, all in pursuit of his dream of creating the perfect woman in his basement prison. But Natascha proves to be resilient. She educates herself and looks for ways to manipulate her relationship with her captor. Natascha records every detail of her brutal existence on scraps of tissue paper, so as not to forget a single thing. Now, she is down to the final sheet – and Natascha knows it has to end. On August 23rd, 2006 – after 3,096 days in captivity – Natascha takes her chance and escapes, tasting freedom for the first time. She is a survivor. (Berlinale)