DE 2025; Mehmet Akif Büyükatalay; 104 min.

German original version (German, English, Turkish, Kurdish, Arabic with German subtitles)

When a burnt Koran is found on the set of a movie, intern Elif is drawn into a dangerous game of secrets, accusations and lies.

This gripping conspiracy thriller plays with the movie-within-a-movie motif and is full of unexpected twists and turns. A precise reflection on the power of images, Muslim identities in Germany and the dynamics of perception, projection and social hysteria.

Mehmet Akif Büyükatalay studied at the Academy of Media Arts Cologne and received the First Steps Award 2019 for his debut film ORAY, which is set in Hagen. With his production company filmfaust, he has written and produced international and award-winning feature films and documentaries, including Aşk, Mark ve Ölüm (Love, D-Mark and Death). The director, who grew up in Hagen, premiered HYSTERIA at the Berlinale and has been invited to numerous international film festivals. He will be present for a film talk at the Hagen premiere on January 16.