A BALLOON FOR ALLAH
FEATURE DOCUMENTARY | 2011
When the Norwegian-Turkish filmmaker Nefise Özkal Lorentzen was little, she used to send letters to Allah by balloon. Now she wants to send a new balloon to change the role of women in the Muslim culture. By following her grandmother's path as a 'sufi', she embarks on a journey to rediscover the Islam of her mother's mother. The film switches between her actual journey and her dreams. She experiences the diversity of Cairo, Istanbul and Oslo by drinking tea with the Egyptian feminist Nawal El Saadawi, finding hope and inspiration in the life of the 90-year-old author Gamal al-Banna and meeting a young Salafist. On her journey through the labyrinth, it dawns on Nefise that Islam is not the only place to search, but that there are correlations between the three Abrahamic religion and the oppression of women.
Featuring:
Written and Directed by | Nefise Özkal Lorentzen
Producer | Jørgen Lorentzen
Cinematography | Nils Petter Lotherington
Editor | Inge-Lise Langfeldt
Composer | Morten Haslerud
Animation | Simon M. Valentine
Sound Design | Håkon Lammetun
Colorist | Gudmundur Gunnarsson
AWARDS
AMBASSADOR AWARD | RHODE ISLAND FILM FESTIVAL | USA | 2011
BEST DOCUMENTARY | CRYSTAL PALACE FILM FESTIVAL | UNITED KINGDOM | 2011
HONORABLE MENTION | INTERNATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF WOMEN IN RADIO AND TV | MALAYSIA | 2011
BEST DOCUMENTARY | INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL FOR PEACE, INSPIRATION, EQUALITY | INDONESIA | 2012
JURY AWARD | INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL FOR PEACE, INSPIRATION, EQUALITY | INDONESIA | 2012
DOCUMENTARY AWARD OF EXCELLENCE | INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL FOR SPIRITUALITY, RELIGION & VISIONARY | INDONESIA | 2013
BEST DIRECTOR | WORLD FILM AWARDS | INDONESIA | 2013
Film Festivals
2011:
- NETHERLANDS | IDFA
- MALAYSIA |INT. ASSOCIATION OF WOMEN IN RADIO AND TV | IAWRT HONORABLE MENTIONED
- USA | RHODE ISLAND FILM FESTIVAL | Award: AMBASSADOR GRAND PRIZE
- UNITED KINGDOM | CRYSTAL PALACE INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL | Award: BEST DOCUMENTARY AWARD
- SPAIN | MARBELLA FILM FESTIVAL
- SWITZERLAND | EMMENTALER FILM FESTIVAL
- POLAND | HUMAN DOC INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL
- TURKEY | FLYING BROOM INTERNATIONAL WOMEN'S FILM FESTIVAL
- USA | UNSPOKEN HUMAN RIGHTS FILM FESTIVAL
- FRANCE | CULTURE AND CULTURES INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL
- GERMANY | RADAR HAMBURG INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL
- FRANCE | SIGNESDE NUIT INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL
- TURKEY | MALATYA INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL
2012:
- TAIWAN | WOMEN MAKE WAVES, INTERNATIONAL TAIWAN FILM FESTIVAL
- USA | CHAGRIN DOCUMENTARY FILM FESTIVAL
- SPAIN | THE INTERNATIONAL EUROARAP FILM FESTIVAL AMAL, SANTIAGO DE COMPOSTELA
- INDONESIA | INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL FOR PEACE, INSPIRATION, EQUALITY
- POLAND | TRANSATLANTYK POZNAN INTERNATIONAL FILM AND MUSIC FESTIVAL
- SPAIN | MADRID FILM FESTIVAL
- CANADA | NON-VIOLENCE FILM FESTIVAL
- USA | NOMINATED FOR HISTORY MAKER AWARD, NYC
- INDIA | IAWRT INTERNATIONAL ASIAN WOMEN FILM FESTIVAL, 8TH MARCH, NEW DELHI
- INDIA | IAWRT INTERNATIONAL ASIAN WOMEN FILM FESTIVAL, GOA
- INDIA | IAWRT INTERNATIONAL ASIAN WOMEN FILM FESTIVAL, CALICUT
- INDIA | IAWRT INTERNATIONAL ASIAN WOMEN FILM FESTIVAL, PONDICHERRY
- PAKISTAN | 5TH VASAKH FILM FESTIVAL
- USA | SCANDINAVIAN FILM FESTIVAL IN LA
- NEW ZEALAND | DOCNZ DOCUMENTARY EDGE FESTIVAL
- UNITED KINGDOM | SEE - THE BRIGHTON DOCUMENTARY FILM FESTIVAL
- USA | WOMEN'S INTERNATIONAL FILM & ART FESTIVAL, MIAMI
- USA | MINNEAPOLIS - ST. PAUL INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL
- INDIA | SAMSUNG WOMEN'S INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL, CHENNAI
2013:
- INDONESIA | Q FILM FESTIVAL, JAKARTA
- INDONESIA | WORLD FILM AWARDS, JAKARTA
- INDONESIA | INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL “FOR SPIRITUALITY, RELIGION & VISIONARY”, JAKARTA
- SOUTH KOREA | INT'L WOMEN'S FILM FESTIVAL IN SEOUL
2015:
- COLOMBIA | NORDIC FILM SCREENINGS (CORPORACIONCEBRA.CL)
2016:
- SPAIN | XVI MUESTRA DE CINE REALIZADO POR MUJERES DE HUESCA