Ama, the daughter of Senegalese asylum seekers, feels completely Dutch. When Ama’s mother and brother are arrested, Ama sets off in search of her father through Rotterdam in the middle of winter, hoping to avoid deportation. During this frightening and exciting journey, she discovers her roots, thanks in part to her extraordinary totem animal: a gigantic porcupine.
Totem Totem
Ama is really passionate about swimming and spends most of her free time practising for an important upcoming competition, together with her best friend, Thijs. Ama feels totally Dutch, even though her parents are asylum-seekers from Senegal.
directed by Sander Burger, screenplay Sander Burger, Bastiaan Tichler , music Amaury Laurent Bernier , cinematography Sal Kroonenberg , editing Manuel Rombley , cast Jean-Philippe Amani (Ama), Ole van Hoogdalem (Thijs), Lies Visschedijk (Thijs's mother), Emmanuel Ohene Boafo (Ama's father), Céline Camara (Ama's mother), producers Fleur Knopperts, Denis Vaslin
festivals, awards Cinekid 2022 (Audience Award), NYICFF 2023 – New York (Best Film), Giffoni 2023, JEF 2023 (Audience Award), BIKY – Busan 2023, CICFF 2023 –Chicago
IMDbPhotos
What's On
The Other Way Around Volveréis
Jonás Trueba
Thursday, 03. 04. 2025 / 16:30 / Main Hall
Is a “good” breakup possible? Spanish director Jonás Trueba’s film is a playful and witty nod to the classic remarriage comedies of the 1930s and 1940s, showing that separation can hold just as much love and hope as a reunion.
No Other Land No Other Land
Basel Adra, Hamdan Ballal, Yuval Abraham, Rachel Szor
Thursday, 03. 04. 2025 / 17:50 / Small Hall
Palestinian activist Basel Adra has been documenting for years how Israeli occupiers destroy villages in his home region of Masafer Yatta. While fighting to preserve his community, he forms an unexpected alliance with Israeli journalist Yuval Abraham…
Little Trouble Girls Kaj ti je deklica
Urška Djukić
Thursday, 03. 04. 2025 / 19:00 / Main Hall
Urška Djukić’s (Granny’s Sexual Life) debut feature explores the power of girls’ voices to overturn traditional ideas and patriarchal patterns through the eyes of a shy and sensitive 16-year-old girl, Lucija. The opening film of the Perspectives Competition and winner of the FIPRESCI Award for Best First Film at this year’s Berlinale.