latest notices
QPIX STUDENTS ARE TROPFEST FINALISTS
Graduates of QPIX’s 2011 Diploma of Production course have won their way into the finals of TROPFEST, the world’s largest short film festival, with their student production PHOTOBOOTH. Set in the Afghanistan conflict, PHOTOBOOTH is one of a sequence of...
'Ek Main Aur Ekk Tu' Out February 10
(Nationwide)
Over The Fence Comedy Film Deadline
(Nationwide)
Rottofest 2012: Call For Entries Now Open!
(Nationwide)
latest news
Geoffrey Rush Joins Tropfest
The acclaimed actor and newly-crowned Australian of the Year, Geoffrey Rush, will be a key player in 2012’s Tropfest activities.
Naomi Watts To Play Princess Diana
The Aussie actress is set to play the people’s princess in an upcoming film that chronicles the final two years of Diana’s life.
Sullivan Stapleton Signs On To ‘300’ Prequel
The Aussie actor has beat out the competition to land a role in the upcoming blockbuster.
James Cameron Loses Long Time Australian Collaborators
Producer Andrew Wight and cinematographer Mike deGruy lose their lives in a helicopter crash.
search the site
newsletter
Enter your email address below to receive the weekly Filmink newsletter
Audi German Film Festival: Faith
With the German Film Festival wrapping up in Melbourne over the weekend, our Festival blogger reveals one of the closing highlights
Shahada is Afghan-German filmmaker Burhan Qurbani's full-length debut, and turned out to be one of the must-see films of the Audi Festival. It's a serious, sombre drama centered on religion which is sure to divide audiences.
The film tells the interconnected story of three Muslims in Berlin: Maryam is a young girl who is dealing with the consequences of an abortion following an unwanted pregnancy; Sammi is a devout Muslim who begins to question his sexuality and his faith; and Ismail is an adult trying to come to terms with the woman he hurt years ago and who suddenly re-enters his life.
All three protagonists are dealing with a crisis of faith: Sammi denies his newfound feelings in fear of going against what his religion dictates; Ismail is in search of atonement for past sins, unable to find it in regular religious practices; and Maryam, who believes she has committed an unforgivable sin, awaits punishment and edges ever closer to becoming an extremist fanatic, in the process alienating everyone around her.
Religion can become a way of life for people; basing every decision on faith, it can also lead down a dangerous path, one of fanaticism and where people are stripped of choices. It's striking to watch in the case of Maryam and Sammi, two young people with their whole lives ahead of them, but whose narrow-minded religious views have already made the decision for them, in effect keeping them from what they really want. The link between these three characters is the Imam of the local mosque, the only one who understands that adopting a religious creed is no reason to deprive a life of anything.
Qurbani shows the assured, firm hand of an experienced filmmaker. It's an unsentimental portrayal of religion, grim, gritty, and dark. Despite treading on controversial subject matter - homosexuality, extremism, abortion - the director keeps things low key and never cheapens the story. It's as realistic as it can be, and just like in real life, the movie offers no easy answers and no quick closure; once these three people start seeing past their established views on faith, they discover an entirely new world, but who knows where it will take them.
If you're going to see one film at the Festival, make it this one: it's a serious, well-told story, with good acting and offers plenty of post-film discussion.
The Audi Festival of German Films can still be caught in Adelaide (07-09 May) and Brisbane (28 April - 04 May).