summary
Eleven-year-old Mona fled Syria with her Kurdish family of seven and ended up in Berlin. She can barely speak German, but she can play soccer. In her home country, she often played soccer with her friends on the street. She misses her home, her friends, and especially her aunt Helin. Mr. Che, a dedicated teacher, recognizes Mona's extraordinary talent and takes her on to the girls' team. Well-intentioned, but anything but easy. Mona is quickly seen as an outsider, and playing with the other girls is more difficult than expected. Each of them fights their own battles, but it soon becomes clear: they can only win if they play together.
about the author
Born in 1987 in Duhok/Iraqi Kurdistan. At the age of nine she and her family immigrated to Germany. In 2008 she started studying feature film directing at the Baden-Württemberg Film Academy. Her film Trattoria, which she had made in her third year, premiered at the Berlin Film Festival in 2012. Yusef has been working as assistant director on several international series productions for streaming platforms.
“The movie is a tribute to my teacher. It is also a tribute to the girls who play the main role in the film, to school, to my parents and to my siblings. It reminds me of my own time arriving in a foreign country and how I realised that Germany would become my new home.”
- Soleen Yusef
Winners Sieger sein
An exciting adventure story that uses humour to highlight the importance of solidarity and acceptance of self and others. The underlying theme is the unifying force of soccer under the motto: All for one and one for all!
directed by Soleen Yusef, screenplaySoleen Yusef, cinematography Stephan Burchardt, editing Marty Schenk, music David Menke, Boris Rogovski, cast Dileyla Agirman, Andreas Döhler, Sherine Ciara
festivals, awards Berlinale 2024 Kplus (Outstanding Children's or Youth Film), Generation Kplus
IMDbPhotos
What's On
Sandbag Dam Zečji nasip
Čejen Černić
Thursday, 18. 06. 2026 / 19:00 / Main Hall
A story of forbidden love in the Croatian countryside, Sandbag Dam won the Kinotrip Youth Jury Award at Ljubljana International Film Festival (Liffe), as well as four awards at the Pula Film Festival.
Kinodvorišče
/
Premiere
God Will not Help Bog neće pomoći
Hana Jušić
Thursday, 18. 06. 2026 / 21:30 / Kinodvorišče
The second feature film from Hana Jušić (Quit Staring at My Plate) is a darkly poetic neo-Western about a mysterious Chilean woman who brings unrest to a traditional Croatian shepherding community at the beginning of the 20th century. Blending elements of Wuthering Heights, Croatian folklore, and Jane Campion’s The Piano, the film earned its two leading actresses an award at Locarno.
Whispers in the Woods Le chant des forêts
Vincent Munier
Friday, 19. 06. 2026 / 16:50 / Main Hall
Following his film The Velvet Queen, in which he searched the Tibetan highlands for the elusive big cat, nature photographer Vincent Munier now invites us on an intimate journey to his native Vosges Mountains. Together with him, we will immerse ourselves in the sounds, textures, and scents of ancient forests. The film won the César Award for Best Documentary.