Rojava

Impressed by the Kurds’ fight for freedom, Michael, a student from Vienna, travels to Rojava to help build an independent and democratic system there. Upon his arrival he meets Alan, a young Kurdish maths teacher. Worn down by the war against ISIS and Assad, Alan is heading in the opposite direction, westwards towards Europe. Alan convinces Michael to give him his Austrian passport in exchange for contacts to revolutionary groups. Michael falls in love with Hevin, a young woman and local military commander who teaches him how to shoot, while Alan escapes to Vienna where he finds refuge with Michael’s mother and becomes all too familiar with the hardships of the European asylum system. Rojava explores a two-way clash of cultures, putting the aspirations and ideals of both men through the harsh trial of reality.