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MOND

Austria | Jordan | Kurdwin Ayub

Kurdwin Ayub is without question the greatest talent in Austrian cinema. A few short films, two documentaries and her acclaimed debut film “Sonne” have already earned her this status. With her second feature film “Mond”, the young director confirms her talent and once again presents a story set between the contrasting worlds of East and West. “Moon” tells the story of a failed mixed martial arts fighter and a rich, patriarchal family in Jordan. After a bloody defeat in the ring, Sarah (Florentina Holzinger) is confronted with the end of her career. In search of a new perspective, Sarah is hired by a wealthy Jordanian businessman to train his family's daughters. At their first meeting in the luxurious palace, she quickly realizes that the sisters, Nour, Shaima and Fatima, are not the princesses she thought they were. Ayub's cinematic storytelling is precise and imbued with a haunting realism that illuminates the power structures and patriarchal dynamics between the sexes. “Moon” also plays amusingly with genre expectations, which Ayub constantly subverts. The film begins as a social study and unfolds into a gripping thriller that never exaggerates the reality and living conditions of the characters. Ayub skillfully interweaves the themes of freedom and confinement, while at the same time making a sharp commentary on social reality and gender politics. For this, “Moon” was awarded the Special Jury Prize at the Locarno Film Festival.

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Director: Kurdwin Ayub Screenplay: Kurdwin Ayub Length: 92 min. Language: German English Arabic OF / English UT Country of production: Austria Production: Ulrich Seidl Filmproduktion, Arte Cast: Florentina Holzinger, Andria Tayeh, Celina Antwan, Nagham Abu Baker German distributor: Grandfilm Festivals Locarno Awards: Locarno Special Jury Prize and Ecumenical Prize

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