In a moment of ordinary madness, Yesmin, Nati and Bella dance and twerk in hijabs and decide to record a cheeky cover of R.E.M’s Losing My Religion. The video ends up on Youtube and the three teenage girls become internet sensations, especially among the Kurdish Muslim community in Austria.
While Bella and Nati enjoy their newborn internet fame, Yesmin, who is the only one who is Kurdish, begins to distance herself more and more from her culture and religion. In Kurdwin Ayub’s first feature, cultures, social media and identities are at the core of modern teenagehood. While Yesmin’s dad couldn’t be more proud of his daughter, her mother and little brother do not understand who she’s becoming in multicultural Austrian society.
Sonne sparkles with insolence and honesty, and treats hot topics like religion and cultural appropriation with humor and kindness. The film beautifully renders the imagery, concerns and hopes of the social media generation and depicts a wild and disoriented youth with a sincere compassion.
Kurdwin Ayub was born in Iraq and grew up in Austria. She studied painting and experimental film at the Academy of Fine Arts in Vienna. The film was produced by iconic director Ulrich Seidl (Dog days, Paradise : Love, Faith, Hope) and Ayub’s own parents play Yesmin’s parents in the film. Sonne notably won the Best first feature award at Berlinale 2022. We are thrilled and delighted to screen it for the first time in Rotterdam.
About Roffa Mon Amour
Welcome to your most magical open air film festival in summer in Rotterdam. For 12 days in August, the festival celebrates cinematic talent from around the world, presenting films at night at a playful location. Roffa Mon Amour thrills and moves you with a selection of colorful, daring films from new and known filmmakers, live Cinema Concerts, introductions, and Q&As. At a very special festival location, you travel from Tunis to Hong Kong to back again from New York to Rotterdam.
Next to the annual film festival, Roffa Mon Amour presents various other film events and collaborations throughout the year, as we open an inspiring and unpredictable world of cinema to a curious audience. Discover films that shock or hurt, that make you fall in love, or transport you to another world, all from well-selected locations in our beloved Rotterdam.