Made by the Afghan artist Soraya, who began drawing and sculpting at sixteen, this documentary follows her five-year attempt to flee Iran and reunite with her mother in Austria. Her art, built on symbols such as a fox, a pink moon and a sad clown, carries fear, hope and a longing for freedom. The film blends her own footage with news clips and personal videos, and it reflects on violence within her marriage. It won the Best Film Grand Prize in the international competition at IDFA 2025.
After the screening, a speaker from Salaam talks with the pupils about why Soraya is trapped without papers in Iran and why she stays in a violent marriage. The conversation moves on to women's conditions in Afghanistan and Iran, how one can find a space of freedom in a difficult everyday life, and how art can become a way to express oneself.
