WAKE UP ON MARS + pre-recorded ScreenTalk with director Dea Gjinovci

A family from Kosovo await the results of their asylum application in Sweden while caring for their two daughters who lie in a coma-like state.
 

The Demiri family, forced to seek asylum in Sweden after fleeing persecution in Kosovo in 2007, awaits for the results of their asylum application while caring for their two daughters who have mysteriously fallen into a coma-like state diagnosed as ‘resignation syndrome’. In the midst of this uncertain reality, the family's youngest child, Furkhan, who dreams of outer space, is building a spaceship for a special mission to Mars.

Documentary and magical realism blend in Dea Gjinovci's fascinating, often playful film which, despite the potential bleakness of the subject matter, offers hope in the face of bureaucracy and cynicism, while Furkhan’s escapades act as a dynamic metaphor for the experience of many refugees.