STILL BREATHING/ Short Film

When everyday life in a German refugee camp sets in, Hala, an 8 year old Syrian girl is torn between giving her best adapting to an entirely new environment and dealing with memories of war & loss, which show up like a huge wave out of the depth of the ocean. What nobody knows, she has inner guides that do not let her go astray.

This fictional and documentary work was filmed in a German refugee camp, during the peak season of the Syrian Refugee Crisis in 2015/2016, with refugees from Syria, Afghanistan, Pakistan, Iraq, Iran, Macedonia. It is a short film about trauma, different cultures meeting face to face, media vs reality & a sense of remaining strong and still in a world of constant chaos.

This is a collaborative work. Without the teamwork between refugees, social workers, volunteers in the camp, equipment providers, the filmcrew and so many beautiful people involved this work would have never been possible.

Written and directed by Cana Yılmaz, with: Hala A, Oktay Özdemir, director of photography by Boris Eschwey; edited by Sascha Seidel; music by Basilius Alawad, Meike Boltersdorf, Samir Mansour; sound by Daniele Guida: sounddesign by Jonathan Heidger: grading by Bewegte Bilder Gmbh: produced by Sven Schnell/ Sancinema; released by phantasticas.

Screenings/ Official Selections

Wonderous Stories Film Festival Berlin, official selection 2022
Courage Film Festival, Semi Finalist Berlin 2020
FIF - Filmstrip International Film Festival Moldavia, official selection Romania 2019
Sehsüchte International Film Festival, official selection, Berlin 2019
Crime and Punishment - Justice for all International Film Festival, Golden Scale Short Film Competition Finalist, Istanbul, Turkey 2018
Filmschau BaWue, official selection Stuttgart, 2018
Forum Theater, screening Stuttgart 2018
Stadtpalais - Museum zu Stuttgart, screening 2018
Theaterhaus Stuttgart, Premiere Stuttgart 2018