A powerful intimate play, which is further enhanced by the interaction of camera and setting. Both the handling of prejudices in the family system as well as degrading social realities are brought to light. It is precisely the refusal of unnecessarily large dramatic sequences in favour of a focus on everyday worries and hardships in the private sphere that brings the protagonists closer to us as human beings. 

Cleverly written, the film tells the life of a young Syrian/Kurdish family with their relatives in Germany. In the end the question is: What is the value of a human life?

Festivals

The film "Jiyan" by Süheyla Schwenk won the Prize of the Ecumenical Jury at the 41st Max Ophüls Award. The festival jury awarded its prizes for the best feature film to "Neubau" by Johannes Maria Schmit.

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