ZagrebDox praises ‘Dream’s Gate’ by Iranian filmmaker

The ZagrebDox in Croatia has praised ‘Dream’s Gate’ by Iranian filmmaker Negin Ahmadi.

The international documentary film festival in the Croatian capital of Zagreb presented an honorable mention to Ahmadi’s work which is a co-production from Iran, France and Norway.

In ‘Dream’s Gate’, Ahmadi starts a personal journey into the combat zone of north Syria to question what it means to be a woman. 

Alone with her camera, she decides to look for an answer to her questions by encountering the women who embody the strongest contemporary myth of female strength and freedom: Kurdish female fighters.

The personal search and internal struggles turn into an intimate women’s diary written in the first person.

Following, sharing and witnessing the life of these and other Kurdish women put into question the image that the director has of herself and of the cost of equality and freedom in this difficult region.

In their comment, the jury praised the courage and commitment of Ahmadi and considered the topic timely, important, and uniquely relevant.

The winners of the festival were announced on Saturday. The audience had an opportunity to see more than 110 documentaries in 12 program sections at the ZagrebDox.

Twenty films competed for the official festival award The Big Stamp in the international documentary film category, and the same number of titles were running in the regional competition.

Launched in 2005, the festival is intended to provide audiences and experts insight into recent documentary films, stimulate national documentary production and boost international and regional cooperation in co-productions.

The 2023 edition of the event was held on March 26-April 2.

MG/AG