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Rabiye Kurnaz vs. George W. Bush film image, director Andreas Dresen

Rabiye Kurnaz vs. George W. Bush

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Canadian Premiere

In December 2001, 19 year-old Murat Kurnaz is arrested while on a pilgrimage in Pakistan. His mother, Rabiye Kurnaz (Meltem Kaptan, Best Leading Performance at Berlinale)—a feisty housewife of Turkish descent living in Bremen, Germany—is desperate to track him down. In February 2002, she discovers that Murat is being detained indefinitely in Guantánamo Bay. Rabiye enlists the help of a human rights lawyer, Bernhard Docke (Alexander Scheer), to petition for his release.

For her voice to be heard, Rabiye must cut through red tape, international political tensions, and language barriers. With Bernhard as her ally and translator, she travels to Washington to appeal to the press, and eventually, the Supreme Court. While the odds against Murat may seem insurmountable, hope persists for Rabiye in the form of her quirky, budding friendship with Bernhard. Brimming with charm, tenderness, and unexpected levity, Andreas Dresen’s Rabiye Kurnaz vs. George W. Bush weaves a true story of courage and determination to speak truth to power.

A fresh, real-life spin on David and Goliath.”—Leslie Felperin, The Hollywood Reporter

 

Silver Bear for Best Leading Performance (Meltem Kaptan) & for Best Screenplay, Berlin 2022

Director
Cast

Meltem Kaptan, Alexander Scheer, Charly Hübner, Nazmi Kirik, Sevda Polat

Credits
Country of Origin

Germany/France

Year

2022

Language

In German, Turkish, and English with English subtitles

Film Contact
Links
Content Warning

Graphic Violence

18+
119 min
Award Winners Comedy Drama Human Rights & Social Justice

Book Tickets

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Credits

Producer

Claudia Steffen, Christoph Friedel

Screenwriter

Laila Stieler

Cinematography

Andreas Höfer

Editor

Jörg Hauschild

Production Design

Susanne Hopf

Original Music

Johannes Repka, Cenk Erdoğan

Director

Andreas Dresen headshot, Rabiye Kurnaz vs. George W. Bush director

Andreas Dresen

Andreas Dresen has worked as a freelance author and director since 1992. Some of his award-winning films include Night Shapes (1999), which won the German Film Award in Silver; Grill Point (2002), which won the Silver Bear at the Berlin International Film Festival; and Cloud 9 (2008), which was awarded the Coup de Coeur jury prize in the Un Certain Regard section at Cannes Film Festival. Dresen is also a successful playwright and director. He is a member of the Academy of Arts and the European Film Academy and is a founding member of the German Film Academy.

Filmography: Stilles Land (1992); Night Shapes (1999); Grill Point (2002); Cloud 9 (2008)