Goethe-Kino - Erol Afşin: It’s Burning

Amal, her husband Omar, and their young son Ahmad lead a typical life in Berlin. Though of Arab descent, they were born in Germany.

They live comfortably, have good jobs, get along well with their colleagues, and are part of a friendly neighborhood. However, their stable routine is shattered when a man racially abuses Amal and Ahmad at their local playground. Amal tries to cope privately with the deep hurt caused by the verbal assault. But as the case goes to court and is repeatedly tried, the peaceful rhythm of the family’s life is disrupted and eventually completely broken.
With his debut feature film, actor-turned-director Erol Afşin takes up the true case of the racially motivated hate crime against Egyptian woman and German resident Marwa el-Sherbini in Dresden in 2009. Although this tragic event has been commemorated within the Muslim community and in Saxony, where the crime occurred, and despite protests in Muslim countries, particularly Egypt, at the time, it remains relatively unknown in Germany.

Afşin's film, while bearing many similarities to the 2009 case, is not an exact reconstruction but rather an abstraction, which, for example, is evident in the stripped-down courtroom scenes. Neither date nor location is emphasized, underscoring how anti-Muslim hatred and racism in general have persisted in Germany and how the legal system has failed to protect people from their devastating effects. The film takes its title from the Yiddish song “S’brent” or “Es brennt” (It’s Burning), written following anti-Jewish pogroms in Poland in 1936 and 1937. It calls on the passive bystanders looking on to put out the fire.

Germany 2022, colour, 89mins. With English subtitles

Director: Erol Afşin. With Halima Ilter, Kida Khodr Ramadan, Emir Kadir Taşkın, Nicolas Garin, Brigitte Zeh, Volker Meyer-Dabisch, Patrick Joswig, Katharina Palm, Lulu Hacke, Yusuf Celik, Rana Farahani, Sandra Maren Schneider, Lousion Cornu, Malick Bauer, Sohel Altan Gol, Zeynep Bozbay.

Erol Afşin was born in Adana, Turkey, and came to Germany at the age of 19 to pursue his passion for the arts. While training to be an actor, he performed on stage and in films nationally and abroad, including in Palestine. He completed his studies at the Folkwang University of the Arts as the only graduate with a screenplay. In 2015, Afşin made his first short film, THE WAY, which tells the story of a woman who converts to Islam through her husband, but later divorces him because he does not follow the rules of the religion.

Afşin has appeared in numerous German and international films, including the film MUSTANG, which was nominated for best foreign-language film at the 2016 Oscars. In 2019, he shot a short documentary that follows the journey of a Palestinian and a European to Palestine, revealing the challenges they face. Most recently, he shot the short film TIME in August 2022. He is currently working on his next feature film, CENK: TRÄUME HINTER DEN KULISSEN. Today, Afşin is a German citizen, and he lives in Berlin. (source: Filmfest München)

Host or Publisher Goethe-Institut London