synopsis
Since 2018, women in Saudi Arabia have been legally allowed to drive. For Azza, who refuses to submit to the patriarchal regime, driving represents a welcome moment of independence. The documentary offers insight into everyday life in Saudi Arabia, but above all, it is an empathetic testimony to the difficult fate of a woman who is determined to fight for personal freedom in a country ruled by men. Detailed shots of Azza in the enclosed interior of the car contrast with visually striking images of the vast desert, where Azza finds a sense of harmony with the local landscape. Both environments become a place for painful reflections on the past, but also an opportunity to discover her own identity and an uncertain promise of freedom.
biography
Stefanie Brockhaus (born 1977) is a German independent filmmaker living in Marseille. Her graduation film
Jam (2003) won the Lux Award for best experimental film and was screened at MOMA in New York. Azza is her fourth feature-length documentary, following
On the Other Side of Life (2010),
Some Things Are Hard to Talk About (2017), and
The Poetess (2017).
film details
| director: | Stefanie Brockhaus |
| producer: | Hans Robert Eisenhauer |
| script: | Stefanie Brockhaus |
| photography: | Anne Misselwitz
|
| editing: | Ulrike Tortora
|
| music: | Amélie Legrand
|
| sound: | Michael Hinreiner
|
contact
Jasmina Vignjevic/Syndicado Film Sales
jasmina@syndicado.com
Film at festival
| premiere type: | Czech Premiere |
| festival edition: | 2025 |
| section: | Constellations |
| language: | English, Arabic |
| subtitles: | English |
| colour: | Colour |
Info
| director: | Stefanie Brockhaus |
| original title: | Azza
|
| country: | Germany |
| year: | 2025 |
| running time: | 89 min. |
