Wake Up on Mars
North American Premiere

Wake Up on Mars

2020 Official Selection: Features
Feature | Switzerland, France | 74 MINUTES
Documentary

Two teenage sisters, Ibadeta and Djeneta, lie in a vegetative state in the small Swedish home of their Kosovar family. The cause of their mysterious malady is known as “resignation syndrome,” entwined with their personal trauma experienced as refugees shuttled between two countries. As their devoted parents work to keep their daughters alive while awaiting updates on their immigration status, their youngest son, Furkhan, imagines a life beyond the snowy expanse of his temporary backyard—and into the far reaches of space. Furkhan’s desire to build his dream ship to the stars, escaping the unimaginable reality of his sisters’ illness, serves as a powerful, visually arresting metaphor for the contemporary refugee experience. But will Furkhan and his family be forced to return to Kosovo before he finishes his masterpiece and his sisters return to consciousness?

First-time feature filmmaker Dea Gjinovci brings this mind-boggling true story of trauma and perseverance to life with nuance, dazzling photography, and more than a touch of magic.—Liza Domnitz


Cast & Credits
Directed by
Dea Gjinovci

Dea Gjinovci is a Swiss-Albanian filmmaker living in Paris. Her award-winning documentary short Sans le Kosovo won Best National Film at Dokufest 2017. Wake Up on Mars is her first feature-length documentary. She is a 2019 Film Independent Fellow and a Sundance Talent Forum 2019 alumna.

Director
Dea Gjinovci
Producer
Sophie Faudel , Dea Gjinovci, Britta Rindelaub, Jasmin Basic
Screenwriter
Dea Gjinovci
Cinematographer
Maxime Kathari
Composer
Gael Kyriakidis, Pavillon
Editor
Catherine Birukoff
Executive Producer
Heidi Fleisher, Kathryn Everett, Bryn Mooser, Justin Lacob
Associate Producer
Amok Films
Sound Design
Quentin Coulon
Set Design
Jesse Wallace
Supervising Editor
Lizi Gelber
First Assistant Editor
Aliosha Cheyko

Contacts
Press Contact
Charlie Olsky
Cinetic Marketing
New York, NY 10004
Phone: 9175457260
charlie@cineticmedia.com
* Rush Tickets available at venue except for
Beacon Theatre
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The Rush system functions as a standby line that will form at the venue approximately one hour prior to scheduled start time. Admittance is based on availability and will begin roughly 10 minutes prior to program start time. Rush Tickets are the same price as advance tickets and are payable upon entry.

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