On Wednesday morning, a very special film screening took place at CineStar: at the event organized by DOK Bildung, school classes filled the auditorium—a much younger audience than is typically seen at DOK Leipzig. The film shown was “Moving Sisters” by Christos Stefanou, which celebrated its international premiere that day.
The documentary follows the sisters Hanieh, Shazieh, and Nazieh over the course of seven years. As children, they fled Afghanistan with their parents and, on their way to Germany, had to spend three years in a refugee camp in Athens. That’s where the director met the three of them. Because the family’s immigration status remained unclear for a long time, they were initially separated, and the sisters’ lives unfolded between Germany and Greece. Five years ago, they finally arrived in Germany; today, they live in Leipzig.
Stefanou worked closely with the sisters. This allowed him to portray a deeply traumatic experience through the eyes of children, and that is precisely what makes the film so moving. It offers insight into growing up while fleeing one’s home and draws attention to the experiences of refugees, which are a reality for a segment of our society.
In the theater, alongside the three sisters, their parents, and the director, were current and former classmates of the girls, which clearly delighted the three of them.
After the film and an engaging Q&A, we had the opportunity to speak with Christos Stefanou, as well as Hanieh and Shazieh. We wanted to know how the collaboration went, which scene was their favorite, how it felt to be constantly accompanied by the camera, and how they look back on their time in Greece today.
Interview with the director Christos Stefanou:
Interview with the “Moving Sisters”, Hanieh and Shazieh:
Ariadne & Vanja