RASHID, L'ENFANT DE SINJAR wins the DOK.fest Award of SOS-Kinderdörfer weltweit
Rashid (2nd from left) and his friends (c) DOK.fest München
The DOK.fest Award of SOS-Kinderdörfer weltweit will be awarded for the twelfth time at DOK.fest München. This year's award goes to Slovenian director Jasna Krajinovic's RASHID, L'ENFANT DE SINJAR, a moving documentary about resilience and the meaning of home.
As a child, Rashid survived abduction and indoctrination by IS. While his younger sister remains in captivity, he and his family are able to return to Sinjar in northern Iraq. But the region remains unstable, and hatred of the Yazidis flares up again. On the cusp of adulthood, Rashid searches for his place in a world that offers him few options. Should he stay or go? His fate is representative of an entire generation of war children, their dreams and hardships.
From the jury statement:“Rashid captivates the audience from the first second. His stories are haunting because they describe the unimaginable – experiences of violence and loss. But at the same time, he shows a remarkable resilience and, despite everything, retains an unexpected warmth. The fact that the director chose him as her protagonist is an outstanding achievement – because his story and his personality are what make the film so extraordinary. The combination of a particularly strong author‘s performance, impressive cinematography and a touching, unadorned look at human destiny results in a film that is both artistically and socially highly relevant.”
This year's jury included Michaela May (actress), Heike Schnaar (ZDF, Editor-in-Chief), Thilo Kasper (Teamlead Content Strategy at ARD), Wiebke Schodder (Head of Non-Fiction at Netflix), Prof. Michaela Braun (lawyer) and Christine Kehrer (Head of TV/Video at SOS-Kinderdörfer weltweit).
The Slovenian winner Jasna Krajinovic is an independent documentary filmmaker based in Belgium. After studying literature, she joined the Slovenian Film Academy. She graduated from the INSAS in Brussels in 1999. RASHID, L'ENFANT DE SINJAR is her fourth feature film after TWO SISTERS (BE 2006), DAMIAN'S ROOM (BE 2008) and SUMMER WITH ANTON (BE 2012).
Daniel Sponsel and Adele Kohout (Festival Directors):“The DOK.fest Award of the SOS Kinderdörfer weltweit always draws attention to the fates of children and young people who grow up under conditions that we can hardly imagine and would hardly want to imagine. It often honours films about young people who have to make decisions of enormous importance at an early age. And in the winning films we often meet people who, despite their young age, are powerful, fascinating personalities. In the case of RASHID, L'ENFANT DE SINJAR, all three are equally true and the film is deeply moving. We would like to thank SOS-Kinderdörfer weltweit and B.O.A. Videofilmkunst for their commitment to raising awareness of this important film.“
Lanna Idriss (Director of SOS-Kinderdörfer weltweit):“Like Rashid, millions of children grow up in war and conflict zones – experiencing violence, flight and loss at an age when they need only one thing: protection. Many lose their homes forever; some even lose their families. Others are exploited, injured and forcibly recruited. The psychological wounds left by these experiences last a lifetime. I am delighted that we are honouring a filmmaker who gives these children a voice with the Documentary Award of SOS-Kinderdörfer weltweit.”
The DOK.fest Award of SOS-Kinderdörfer weltweit is sponsored by B.O.A. Videofilmkunst and is endowed with 3,000 euros. It draws attention to films that make the perspective of children and young people visible in a special way.
The prize will be awarded at the DOK.fest München Award Ceremony on 17 May at 7.30 pm in the Amerikahaus. On 18 May at 6 pm, SOS-Kinderdörfer weltweit invites you to a film screening in the Amerikahaus on the occasion of the award ceremony.
