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Kein Tier. So Wild.

No Beast. So Fierce.
Berlinale Special 2025
© Lukasz Bak / Sommerhaus Filmproduktion - Port au Prince Pictures - Goodfellas
Shakespeare’s tragedy Richard III retold: two noble houses, the Arab families of York and Lancaster, bring the war that has been raging for years on the streets of Berlin into the courtroom. Rashida, the youngest daughter of the House of York, is a lawyer who ends the long-running gang conflict with a bloody attack on the heads of the Lancaster clan. Peace at last! But as a woman, Rashida is just a pawn in this world of men. As soon as the fighting ceases, she is condemned to obedience. A sister, yes. A daughter, of course. But she will never be queen. Rashida, however, does not intend to obey; she intends to rule. To claim the crown, she must scheme, seduce enemies and kill lovers. But then, at the height of her power, the violence of a very different war catches up with her as she is catapulted back into her damaged psyche by memories of a childhood scarred by bombs. A garden of loneliness and destruction – the mirror of a wounded soul. Rashida is the ruler of a kingdom made of dirt and dust.
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by Burhan Qurbani (Director, Screenplay), Enis Maci (Screenplay)
with Kenda Hmeidan, Verena Altenberger, Hiam Abbass, Mona Zarreh Hoshyari Khah, Mehdi Nebbou, Meriam Abbas, Banafshe Hourmazdi Germany / Poland / France 2025 German, Arabic 142' Colour World premiere Rating R 16

With

  • Kenda Hmeidan (Rashida York)
  • Verena Altenberger (Elisabet York)
  • Hiam Abbass (Mishal)
  • Mona Zarreh Hoshyari Khah (Ghanima Lancaster)
  • Mehdi Nebbou (Imad York)
  • Meriam Abbas (Qamar York)
  • Banafshe Hourmazdi (Khalifa)

Crew

Director Burhan Qurbani
Screenplay Enis Maci, Burhan Qurbani
Cinematography Yoshi Heimrath
Editing Philipp Thomas
Music Dascha Dauenhauer
Sound Design Thomas Neumann
Production Design Jagna Dobesz
Casting Suse Marquardt
Producers Jochen Laube, Fabian Maubach, Sophie Cocco, Leif Alexis, Klaudia Śmieja- Rostworowska, Beata Rzeźniczek
Co-Producers Noëmie Devide, Eva Dottelonde

Produced by

Sommerhaus Filmproduktion

Madants

Getaway Films

World Sales

Goodfellas

Photos

Burhan Qurbani

© Malik Vitthal

Born in 1980. After completing school, the filmmaker worked as a dramaturge’s and director’s assistant in various theatres. While he was studying at the Filmakademie Baden-Württemberg, his short films won several prizes including the German Film Critics’ Award. His graduation film Shahada premiered in the 2010 Berlinale Competition and won a number of international prizes. Wir sind jung. Wir sind stark. opened the 2014 Rome Film Fest and the Hof International Film Festival. In 2020, Berlin Alexanderplatz was selected for the Berlinale Competition and won five accolades at the German Film Awards.

Filmography

2007 Illusion 2010 Shahada · Krieger ohne Feind 2014 Wir sind jung. Wir sind stark. 2020 Berlin Alexanderplatz 2025 Kein Tier. So Wild.

Bio- & filmography as of Berlinale 2025