RABIA

CINEMA COMPETITION
TRUFFAUT THEATRE
Drama

SATURDAY NOVEMBER 2
1:10 pm (Screening ends at 3:05 pm)
Followed by a conversation with writer/director Mareike Engelhardt

Presented in association with:
Kinology
Women In Film

Directed by: Mareike Engelhardt
Written by: Mareike Engelhardt, Samuel Doux
Produced by: Lionel Massol & Pauline Seigland (Films Grand Huit), Rainer Kölmer (Starhaus Filmproduktion), Annabella Nezri (Kwassa Films), Arte France Cinéma
Cinematography: Agnès Godard
Film Editing: Mathilde Van de Moortel
Original Score: David Chalmin
Cast: Megan Northam, Lubna Azabal, Natacha Krief, Lena Lauzemis, Maria Wöedermann, Klara Wöedermann, Christine Gautier, Andranic Manet
International Sales: Kinology

Filled with excitement at the new life that awaits them, 19-year-old Jessica and her best friend, Laila, leave France for Syria, to join ISIS and marry one of the bravest of jihad insurgents. When their plans go awry, Laila decides to wed an emir instead, and leaves Jessica — now rechristened “Rabia” — behind, alone and literally held prisoner in a women’s house presided over by a draconian task master. Despite her devout faith in Islam, the young woman’s clear eye, feisty nature and sharp survival instincts prompt her to rebel. If she wants to save her skin, she must learn to submit to the cruel system she now finds herself trapped within. But how far can anyone bend and still retain their humanity?

After studying contemporary dance in Berlin, London and New York, and collaborating with choreographers on multi-media performance pieces, Mareike Engelhardt directed her first short films, alternating between narrative and more experimental genres. Engelhardt also served as assistant director for such filmmakers as Roman Polanski and Volker Schlöndorf, and enrolled in La Fémis film school in Paris, where she wrote her first feature script. Her short films include Poke (2018) and Nos lions (2020). She subsequently directed all ten episodes of the German series Ollewitz (2022-2023). Rabia, her first feature, had its world premiere at the Angoulême Francophone Film Festival in August, and was honored with the Prix Ornano-Valenti at the Deauville American Film Festival in September. It is presented at TAFFF prior to its December release in France.