Based on a true story, “Girls of the Sun” centers on an all-female Kurdish battalion that takes on ISIS. “In one night, one single night, over 7,000 women were captured and kept as sex slaves,” a new trailer for the drama explains. “Over half came back in the ensuing months by escaping or being brought back and some of them even found the courage to fight back.”
Among those who are fighting back is Bahar (Golshifteh Farahani), a former lawyer who now serves as Captain in the Kurdish guerrilla. She decided to enlist with the hopes of finding her son, she tells a French journalist (Emmanuelle Bercot) writing a story about the women warriors.
Bahar is determined to empower her battalion and continue the fight for “women, life, [and] liberty.” “Each of us must ask herself: ‘If an enemy comes, will I be able to pull the trigger?'” she tells the troops. “The answer is yes. You are capable of anything.” The Girls of the Sun will be put to the test when they attempt to liberate Bahar’s hometown from extremists.
Written and directed by Eva Husson (“Bang Gang”), “Girls of the Sun” made its world premiere at the 2018 Cannes Film Festival.
“Be fearless,” Husson urged when we asked her advice for other female directors. “Be pragmatic. Be lucid: it is tough out there. Just be aware of it. Do not waste too much energy on feeling sorry for yourself — it won’t change a thing and that will backfire. Be aware that, whether you like it or not, you have a responsibility to all of the other women: be exemplary. That will go a long way for any younger woman coming after you. We are connected,” she emphasized. “Never apologize for your strength.”
“And last but not least,” Husson added, “always follow your guts and your values. The profession is violent. It’s just the nature of the beast, and the only way to keep your head high even in the darkest times — and they will come — is to know you did all of this for the right reasons: because you believed in it, and because it was necessary.”
“Girls of the Sun” hits theaters April 12.
