The other Side of the River

19 year-old Hala escapes an arranged marriage by crossing the Euphrates River to find a new home at a Kurdish Women’s Protection Unit - a unit which soon after liberates her hometown of Minbij from the Islamic State. For her female fellow soldiers, the enemy is not just IS, but patriarchy in general, with the ideal of marriage as the ultimate oppressive institution. The brutalities these young women have experienced at the hands of their husbands and within their own families lead them to the other side of the river where they are trained in combat and educated in the feminist ideals of the Kurdish Women’s Movement. Hala is deeply inspired by these teachings and resolutely dedicates herself to the promise of not only freeing more women, but also liberating her sisters at all costs. Yet is there still space for freedom and even love in Hala’s life when her mission is all-consuming? THE OTHER SIDE OF THE RIVER intimately chronicles the determined, revolutionary path of Hala while shedding light on another parallel journey: the director’s own reflections on being a feminist and cultural outsider in a situation where the term “militant feminism” could be understood quite literally.