At just sixteen, Soraya is already creating stunning drawings and sculptures that are as beautiful as they are dark. This strong-willed Afghan sculptor and illustrator has been trying for five years to escape Iran and join her mother in Austria. This subtly textured self-portrait interweaves chilling scenes of her escape attempts with political news from Afghanistan and videos in which she sings and dances – or shows her bruises. Soraya is married to a violent man, and she is determined to shape her own future. Mehrdad Oskouei directed this film entirely remotely, with Soraya filming all the footage herself over five years using her phone. This material is interspersed with shots of her drawings and surreal animations. Making art is no idle pastime for Soraya. She puts all her worries, joys, and fears into her drawings and the sculptures she makes from soaked egg cartons or clay that she finds along her escape routes. Many of her drawings feature recurring figures: a loyal fox who is her traveling companion, a pink moon that always watches over her, and a clown who ever laughs – a character Soraya identifies with.

Awards:

IDFA Award for Best Feature-Length Documentary – International Documentary Film Festival Amsterdam 2025 (Netherlands)

Big Stamp in the International Competition – Zagrebdox 2026 (Croatia)

Jury Award a Audience Award for Best International Documentary – Docville 2026, Leuven (Belgium)

Stefan Jarl International Documentary Award for Best International Documentary – Tempo Documentary Festival 2026, Stockholm (Sweden)

Below, we offer a statement from the jury of the student competition Another Gaze:

The documentary tells a powerful story about an even more powerful heroine who faces difficult situations. Her story shows bravery and determination in the face of challenging obstacles. The film is also remarkable for its technical approach, as the majority of the footage was recorded on the protagonist’s mobile phone, even in situations when doing so was far from safe. The documentary’s use of a diary or vlog-style format is equally exceptional. It gives the film a more personal and authentic feel, further enhanced by colourful drawings and animations created by the protagonist. They offer us a glimpse into her interior life and feelings that cannot be fully expressed through words, but can be conveyed by art. It is admirable how rich a creative life the protagonist leads despite her difficult circumstances. It is her sanctuary, giving her the inner strength to endure and keep moving forward. It is these aspects in particular that enrich the film to such an extent that we rank it among the most formally original films of this year’s festival. The heroine’s inner world is represented through allegories. As a result, her personal story becomes universal, allowing the audience to find their own meanings within it.

Director Mehrdad Oskouei, together with Soraya Akhlaghi – the co-director and protagonist – will discuss the making of the film after the screening. They will talk about how their remote collaboration unfolded over the five years of filming, what it took to achieve freedom in both practical and personal terms, and how the raw footage shot on a mobile phone gradually became a finished film. Audiences will therefore have the unique opportunity to hear from someone who lived through this story, as well as from the director who helped bring it to the big screen, and to ask questions about a project that has been in the making for years.

The discussion will be held in English and Persian and moderated by Slovak-Iranian stand-up comedian and activist Nasi (Nastaran Motlagh). The discussion will be interpreted into Slovak Sign Language.

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This screening is part of the IncluCine 2 project, implemented within the Collaborate to Innovate scheme under the auspices of Europa Cinemas and funded by the Creative Europe – MEDIA programme.