Based on real events in Germany, writer/director Erol Afsin’s debut feature has important things to say about racial hatred and the various interpretations of freedom of speech. It’s Burning is in competition at this year’s Raindance Film Festival in London.
The 32nd Raindance Film Festival gets underway in London on 19th June and this year’s Guest of Honour is Germany. As a result, a number of German filmmakers have been given the opportunity to showcase their latest work at the Festival. One of them is first-time feature director Erol Afsin, whose film Es brennt / It’s Burning receives its UK premiere at the Festival and is also in competition.
It’s Burning introduces us to a happy family of three – mum Amal (Halima Ilter), dad Omar (Kida Khodr Ramadan) and their young son Ahmad (Emir Kadir Taskin). Walking home through the park after school one day, Amal and Ahmad are the victims of racial abuse; Amal decides it is best to retreat in the face of such harassment, but a couple of bystanders come to support her, and report the incident to the police. Involving the legal system sets in motion an unanticipated train of events for the family.
Based on actual events which took place in Germany in 2009, It’s Burning is a steady-paced film with a shocking finale, the ending a brutal contrast to the wordy monologues which precede it.
Reflecting the increasing frequency of extremist views being voiced among the general population in many countries, not just Germany, director Erol Afsin takes a bold step in allowing one of his characters centre stage to speak his hatred openly and without being shut down. It’s unpleasant, uncomfortable, and quite frankly horrifying that it goes unchallenged at the time. While there is little doubt that the majority of people choosing to watch a film in German about a German-born family of Arab descent will also find the scene abhorrent, it serves as a reminder that outside of that bubble, there are many who would agree wholeheartedly with the sentiment. Amal does get to respond for the record a little later, but at great emotional cost. It is she who reminds the audience that incidents such as the one she endured are not isolated, and happen every day. The people who came to her support and who thought they were doing the right thing suddenly seem a little less sure when seeing things from Amal’s viewpoint.
But the film also addresses another issue facing those born and raised in a country where their parents immigrated decades ago – that of feeling at home neither in their country of birth, nor in the country of their parents’ birth, and therefore lacking a sense of belonging anywhere.
It’s Burning is a film which I hope does justice to the people involved in the real-life story on which it was based. The extended monologues and fixed camera positions can feel a little overdone occasionally and it can feel as if the message is being pressed home with a large hammer.
And yet it is an important story to tell, sadly just as relevant now as when the events took place 15 years ago.
It’s Burning / Es brennt is in competition and has itsUK premiere on 20th June 2024 as part of the 32nd Raindance Film Festival.
Based on real events in Germany, writer/director Erol Afsin’s debut feature has important things to say about racial hatred and the various interpretations of freedom of speech. It’s Burning is in competition at this year’s Raindance Film Festival in London.
The 32nd Raindance Film Festival gets underway in London on 19th June and this year’s Guest of Honour is Germany. As a result, a number of German filmmakers have been given the opportunity to showcase their latest work at the Festival. One of them is first-time feature director Erol Afsin, whose film Es brennt / It’s Burning receives its UK premiere at the Festival and is also in competition.
It’s Burning introduces us to a happy family of three – mum Amal (Halima Ilter), dad Omar (Kida Khodr Ramadan) and their young son Ahmad (Emir Kadir Taskin). Walking home through the park after school one day, Amal and Ahmad are the victims of racial abuse; Amal decides it is best to retreat in the face of such harassment, but a couple of bystanders come to support her, and report the incident to the police. Involving the legal system sets in motion an unanticipated train of events for the family.
Based on actual events which took place in Germany in 2009, It’s Burning is a steady-paced film with a shocking finale, the ending a brutal contrast to the wordy monologues which precede it.
Reflecting the increasing frequency of extremist views being voiced among the general population in many countries, not just Germany, director Erol Afsin takes a bold step in allowing one of his characters centre stage to speak his hatred openly and without being shut down. It’s unpleasant, uncomfortable, and quite frankly horrifying that it goes unchallenged at the time. While there is little doubt that the majority of people choosing to watch a film in German about a German-born family of Arab descent will also find the scene abhorrent, it serves as a reminder that outside of that bubble, there are many who would agree wholeheartedly with the sentiment. Amal does get to respond for the record a little later, but at great emotional cost. It is she who reminds the audience that incidents such as the one she endured are not isolated, and happen every day. The people who came to her support and who thought they were doing the right thing suddenly seem a little less sure when seeing things from Amal’s viewpoint.
But the film also addresses another issue facing those born and raised in a country where their parents immigrated decades ago – that of feeling at home neither in their country of birth, nor in the country of their parents’ birth, and therefore lacking a sense of belonging anywhere.
It’s Burning is a film which I hope does justice to the people involved in the real-life story on which it was based. The extended monologues and fixed camera positions can feel a little overdone occasionally and it can feel as if the message is being pressed home with a large hammer.
And yet it is an important story to tell, sadly just as relevant now as when the events took place 15 years ago.
It’s Burning / Es brennt is in competition and has its UK premiere on 20th June 2024 as part of the 32nd Raindance Film Festival.
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