Mustang

97 minutes, France/Turkey/Germany, 2015, 15A

Director: Deniz Gamze Ergüven

 Cast: Güneş Şensoy, Doğa Zeynep Doğuşlu, Elit Işcan, Tuğba Sunguroğlu, Ilayda Akdoğan

Language: Turkish

Their spirit would never be broken.

Five free-spirited teenage sisters have been raised in a north Turkish village by their grandmother and strict uncle since their parents’ death. Their seemingly happy existence changes forever when a neighbor reports some innocent fun the girls have with male classmates on a local beach as immoral behaviour to their family. As the girls’ freedom starts to be stripped away, the bond between the sisters becomes even stronger and they search for ways to rebel against the restrictions imposed on them.

Told largely from the perspective of the youngest sister Lale, first-time director Deniz Gamze Ergüven’s Oscar-nominated Mustang is a heady, emotional and deeply personal story about female empowerment.

Festivals:

Cannes Film Festival 2015

Karlovy Vary International Film Festival 2015

Venice Film Festival 2015

Toronto International Film Festival 2015

Audi Dublin International Film Festival 2016

Awards:

Europa Cinemas Label Prize, Cannes Film Festival 2015

European Parliament LUX Prize 2015

Audience Award, Glasgow Film Festival 2016

Best Film, Audi Dublin International Film Festival 2016

Quotes:

“A beautifully mounted story about the demonization of young female sexuality in a remote Turkish village.” – Variety

 “Essential.” – Donald Clarke, The Irish Times

“…a sweet, sad Turkish delight.” – The Guardian

★★★★ The Irish Times

★★★★★ The Guardian

Other:

Academy Award Nominee 2016, Best Foreign Language Film

Golden Globe Nominee 2016, Best Motion Picture – Foreign Language