APM - Asian Project Market

2023 Project

Logline

Peasants rescue two girls among dozens who were kidnapped. As one girl’s testimony is worth half of a man’s, they both need protection from riflemen to testify against the governor.

Synopsis

A group of rebels attack a village and kidnap dozens of girls. Younus, an opium-addicted singer whose fiancée is among the abducted, joins forces with a small group of peasants. They plead with the government for the release of the girls, but the authorities refuse to help. After carrying out a reckless attack on the local garrison, the group decides to fight the rebels themselves. Although they do foolish things due to their lack of fighting skills, they manage to free two captive girls with the help of a bounty hunter. After hearing what the girls have witnessed, Younus and his comrades realize that their local governor has betrayed them. They decide to take the girls to the ruler to provide their testimony, but the bounty hunter has other plans and is out for Younus′s head.
The men try to reunite one girl with her family, but she tragically commits suicide when they reject her. The governor′s forces kill and imprison several members of the group to stop them from reaching their destination, but Younus and the bounty hunter fight bravely to protect the remaining girl. Alone but hopeful, she manages to meet the ruler, but he refuses to accept the testimony of an illiterate, unmarried peasant girl - according to tradition, a woman’s testimony is only half as valuable as a man’s. More motivated than ever, the girl embarks on yet another journey to free the girls of the tribe.

Director's Statement

Karl Marx said, "Hegel remarks somewhere that all great world-historic facts and personages appear, so to speak, twice. He forgot to add: the first time as tragedy, the second time as farce." This is the essence of my second feature, which is a “tragicomedy”. In my opinion, we are caught in a tragic farce in the Middle East. However, I don′t want to make an intellectual or political film. Achieving a unique language of visual storytelling is my priority; to make a movie that entertains the audience, while refining their souls. When this drama appears onscreen and catharsis occurs, my restless Middle Eastern soul - stuck in a battle between a chaotic history and an uncertain future - will be revealed throughout.

Producer's Statement

Due to the current situation in the Middle East, filmmakers have faced many difficulties in trying to continue their work. During all this, Arsalan Amiri has persevered as a true artist. He was born to tell stories - this time, it will be a tale about a little-known part of Iran′s history, from a place close to his heart.
His first feature, Zalava (Arsalan Amiri, 2021), was a major success, receiving recognition at Venice Critics’ Week where it won the grand prize, and Venice International Film Festival, where it won the FIPRESCI award. We have every confidence that For the Girls of the Tribe will be even more epic, as Amiri, a brave writer and director, delves even deeper into his Kurdish heritage.

Director's Profile

Producer's Profile