Sudabeh Mortezai’s second feature film Joy, recently awarded in Venice, garners major distinctions in London and Chicago:
Best Film Award at the 62nd BFI London Film Festival and
Silver Hugo: Special Jury Prize at the 54th Chicago IFF
The LONDON jury statement
„JOY is a provocative and unique film offering a devastating portrait of human resilience in the most inhuman of environments.
A raw, fresh view on sex trafficking with a sharp feminist perspective sewn in throughout – director Sudabeh
Mortezai successfully immerses us in the women’s lives with her documentarist approach exploring the traps of abuse and
extortion without ever becoming exploitative itself. A vital beautifully made film that my fellow jurors and I urge you to
watch.”
The CHICAGO jury statement
„This film shows in an honest and raw way the conflicts of two sex workers of Nigeria in Europe, showing in a truthful
and consistent style the cycle of exploitation. Moral dilemmas and guilt are exposed carefully in this sincere social drama.“
