Farah (STRAZEcinema + Discussion)

The protagonist Farahnaz was raised as a boy in accordance with the Afghan tradition of “bacha posh” and confronted from an early age with a binary-structured society and its gender-based role assignment. “Bacha Posh” is a practice that enables families without sons to fulfill this role, which is necessary in the patriarchal system, within the family context by dressing one of their daughters as a boy until puberty.

After Yalda Afsah and Ginan Seidl first met Farahnaz in Afghanistan in 2013, they now accompany her in “Farah” at the age of 17-20 through her everyday life in Germany: in class, in her sister's household, hanging out with friends, choosing the right outfit, or deciphering letters from the immigration office. Farah reflects on the privileges that were taken from her and that she has reclaimed; how girls' clothes became alien to her body, how she became alien to herself. Looking back, she realizes how life slapped her in the face: “You are a girl and this is not a dream. This is the man's right, time to wake up.”

The film combines documentary footage with TikTok-style selfie videos and follows the protagonist in moments of self-staging, dreaming up self-images, and the heartbreak when these dreams, big or small, are shattered.
Farahnaz confidently positions herself in a society that differs from the one she was born into, but is determined by her own norms, and renegotiates the roles assigned to her by society—as a migrant in Germany, as a girl in boys' clothes, as a family member, and as a friend.

After the film, we invite you to a discussion.

Entrance: from 7.30 pm
Start: 8 pm
Admission: free

The film will be shown in the original language with German subtitles.

A further education event by STRAZEkultur at Kultur- und Initiativenhaus Greifswald e.V., as part of Greifswald Intercultural Week 2025.

Monday is movie day at STRAZE.

(c) ROSENPICTURES

Trailer; youtube: Rosen Pictures

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