Kumru

In a remote mountain village where the main form of communication is an ancient whistled language, lives a 12-year-old boy who does not know how to speak the language. Berat is an outsider, but his connection to a mysterious hybrid creature – half sheep, half dog – leads him on an unusual journey. The sick creature urgently needs medicine, and Berat does everything he can to get it. At the same time, the hybrid teaches him another, equally fascinating form of communication that creates a magical connection between reality and fantasy. The story unfolds in documentary-style images that capture the everyday life of the village and the stark beauty of the landscape. But a touch of magic creeps in among the natural sounds and the conversations in whistled language. The film skillfully plays with the boundaries between reality and fantasy, telling a deeply touching story about isolation, empathy, and the meaning of language. The film was awarded the 2020 Berenberg Film Prize by the HFBK Hamburg. The jury particularly praised the subtle fusion of magical realism and naturalistic representation, as well as the poetic power with which it addresses the themes of belonging and migration. An extraordinary work that shows how cinema creates new worlds and expands reality in an enchanting way.