AN ENCORE CHANCE TO SEE THE TJFF2022 AUDIENCE AWARD WINNER

Inspired by his memories of growing up in a Kurdish village on the Syrian-Turkish border, director Mano Khalil highlights the plight of the Kurdish people through the eyes of a sensitive child. Sero’s carefree childhood comes to an end on the first day of school when the new Syrian teacher forbids him from speaking Kurdish. Students are taught that Jews are the enemy, a concept at odds with Sero’s warm relationship with his Jewish neighbours. Seen through the eyes of a child, the teacher’s attempts at indoctrination seem more absurd than dangerous and lend the film a gentle satiric edge.