Strength and courage: Girl power comes to Berlin filmfest
With strong female lead roles from a savior of street kids to an inspiring figure with Down Syndrome, directors have given girl power a firm place at this year's Berlin film festival.
Films at the event, which is also welcoming an unprecedented line-up of female filmmakers, are challenging long-held notions such as the gender of God or the place of women in defending societies' most vulnerable.
Macedonian filmmaker Teona Strugar Mitevska cut to the chase with "God exists, her name is Petrunya," the true story of a young woman who decides to join a religious competition that's usually reserved for men.
"All patriarchal societies are constructed to support male domination, where the woman's status and social space is decided by men, so every time a story is told about, or around the so-called 'second sex,' it is inevitably a feminist movie," she said.
Teona Strugar Mitevska (L) and Zorica Nusheva attend the "God exists, her name is Petrunya" premiere during the 69th Berlinale International Film Festival at Berlinale Palace in Berlin, Germany, February 10, 2019. /VCG Photo
But Mitevska said feminism should not be viewed as reverse discrimination.
"Feminism is not a disease, or something to be afraid of. Equality, justice and equity for all are in the forefront of its ideology," she said.
"Jessica Forever" by French filmmakers Caroline Poggi and Jonathan Vinel sees a woman save the day.
In a dystopia where orphans living on the margins of society are forced to kill each other to survive, the heroine Jessica steps in to rescue the children as they are being pursued by drones.
French filmmakers Jonathan Vinel (L) and Caroline Poggi pose after being awarded the Golden Bear for Best Short Film for "As long as the shotguns" during the 64th Berlinale in Berlin, February 15, 2014. /VCG Photo
"In the eyes of the boys, Jessica is also a mother, a big sister, a star, a muse, a magician, a sorcerer. She represents their salvation," Poggi told AFP.
Italian filmmaker Federico Bondi uses the story of a girl with Down Syndrome to showcase her steely strength and healing touch.
The poetic film "Dafne" depicts a curious and courageous girl who after the brutal death of her mother becomes a pillar of support for her father, who is slowly descending into depression.
"Dafne represents woman empowerment because she is an inspiration for all the people that she meets. She is not affected by her diversity, she accepts it, she is in constant discussion with it and she lives her condition with mature serenity," Bondi told AFP.
(Top Photo: Macedonian director Teona Strugar Mitevska attends a press conference for the film "God exists, her name is Petrunya" presented in competition at the 69th Berlinale film festival in Berlin, February 10, 2019. /VCG Photo)