ONE WORLD 2016 - AUDIENCE AWARD
SUNDANCE WORLD CINEMA DOCUMENTARY GRAND JURY PRIZE
SUNDANCE WORLD CINEMA DOCUMENTARY AUDIENCE AWARD
IDFA AUDIENCE AWARD
IDFA 2015 DOC U AWARD FOR THE YOUTH JURY'S FAVOURITE FILM



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FESTIVALS:
* Ulju Mountain Film Festival (Ulju-gun, Ulsan, South Korea)
* Embassy of Switzerland in Bangladesh (Dhaka, Bangladesh)
* Vera Film Festival
* Ambulante
* Mooov
* Hot Docs
* Docs Against Gravity
* Indie Lisboa
* Documentamadrid
* DocsBarcelona
* Sheffield Doc/Fest
* True/False Film Fest (USA)
* Millenium International Documentary Film Festival
* One World International Film Festival
* Tempo Documentary Festival
* Thessaloniki Documentary Film Festival
* London Human Rights Watch FF
* FIFDH - Festival du film et Forum sur les Droits Humains
* ZagrebDox
* Human Rights Human Wrongs
* !f Istanbul International Independent Film Festival
* DocPoint - Helsinki Documentary Film Festival
* Sundance World Documentary Competition
* IDFA – Feature Length Competition


*AWARDS:
* Audience Award - Take One Action Film Festivals
* 2016 Audience Award - Camden International Film Festival
* Audience Award - DocsBarcelona Medellin
* Music Award - Indie Lisboa
* NETPAC Jury Award - Moscow FF
* Grand Prix International URTI for Author's Documentary
-The International URTI Grand Prix for Author’s Documentary rewards documentaries which stand out by the technical and editorial quality, but also by the originality of the subject and of the expressed point of view. It favours the expression of the humanistic values of tolerance, mutual respect, peace, friendship and understanding between peoples.

* Sheffield Youth Jury Award
* Jury Special Mention - DocEdge (New Zealand)
- Jury Statement
"Sonita" is striking because its main subject is such a phenomenal teen. The high stakes of Sonita’s personal story and her determination to fight her fate elevates a traditional coming-of-age journey of a teen struggling to pursue her dreams. Ghaem Maghami’s close and often casual filmmaker/subject relationship with Sonita offers an intimacy to the film that connects us to the young Afghan rapper. The filmmaker’s decision to intervene in Sonita’s journey is elegantly handled and allows for a more complex story.

* Grand Jury Award for Best Feature Documentary - Mammoth Lakes Film Festival
* Best film in International Selection - Beldocs International Feature Documentary Film Festival (Serbia)
- Jury Statement
"For the complex portrait of a sixteen year old artist who has no second thoughts about who she is, which principle to follow, and who chooses a different life path in a world in which at first sight there is no alternative."

* IndieMusic Award - IndieLisboa
* Grand Prix Lower Siles - Docs Against Gravity Film Festival
* Award of SOS-Kinderdörfer - DOK.fest (Munich)
- Extract from the jury decision:
"The film SONITA draws us straight into the touching story of a strong-willed girl who fights for freedom and self-determination in her life. She is helped along the way by various people but above all by her charming and open character and her exorbitant strength and creativity. The Iranian filmmaker succeeds in answering the question of what the life of a woman is worth and has created a documentary masterpiece in two respects: her film does not just bring us closer to the thrilling life story of her young heroine but also proves the success of helping and that a film can change the world."

* Audience Award - DOCUMENTAMADRID 20160
* Audience Award - One World 2016
* Sundance World Cinema Documentary Grand Jury Prize
* Sundance World Cinema Documentary Audience Award
* IDFA Audience Award
* IDFA 2015 Doc U Award for the Youth Jury's Favourite Film
- Jury Statement:
"We were touched by the persistence after a lot of tough yet educational experiences that were shown in the movie. The main character could be role model to the youth, because of their positivity despite everything they have been through. The involvement of the director made it a huge success. We believe that this film deserves to be the winner of this category. "






Sonita

Category |Conflicts, Human Interest, Human Rights, Music, Politics, Social Issues, Women, Youth
Year | 2015
Country | Germany, Switzerland, Iran
Running time | 91’ & 52’
Format | HD
Production | TAG/TRAUM Filmproduktion, Intermezzo Films Switzerland + Rokhsareh Ghaem Maghami Iran
Director | Rokhsareh Ghaem Maghami


Sonita is an 18-year-old female, an undocumented Afghan illegal immigrant living in the poor suburbs of Tehran. She is a feisty, spirited, young woman who fights to live the way she wants, as an artist, singer, and musician in spite of all her obstacles she confronts in Iran and her conservative patriarchal family. In harsh contrast to her goal is the plan of her family – strongly advanced by her mother – to make her a bride and sell her to a new family. The price right now is about US$ 9.000.

What’s more, women aren’t allowed to sing in Iran. How can Sonita still succeed in making her dreams come true? Director Rokhsareh Ghaem Maghami ends up personally involved in answering that question, reigniting the discussion as to how documentary makers should relate to their subjects. This is just one of the many unexpected twists in an exciting journey replete with the setbacks and successes of a young women looking for her own path. The film’s core consists of Sonita artistically arguing against the disastrous forced marriage practices that obstruct her freedom in an impressive, dramatic rap video.

REVIEW:
Channel 4 News: TV interview w/Sonita
The Guardian: film review
Broadly (VICE): interview w/Sonita
Dazed Digital: interview w/Sonita
BBC Radio 4/Front Row: interview w/Sonita and Rokhsareh
The National: interview w/Sonita and Rokhsareh
New Stateman: film review
Run Riot: preview
Amaphiko: 5 incredible new films about women at HRWFF
Guardian Global: Five movies to look out for at HRWFF
The Salt Lake Tribune : The rap song heard around the world — ‘SONITA’ finds her voice in Utah

PRESS IMAGES: (click to preview)

     

TRAILER :






Les images de la bande dessinée "Sonita Alizadeh, rappeuse" sont tirées du blog Les culottées (un blog de Pénélope Bagieu)
- Le Monde, M Blogs