MARTIN READS THE QURAN Martin liest den Koran

MARTIN READS THE QURAN Martin liest den Koran

GERMANY
2023 – DCP – colore – 106’

Direction: Jurijs Saule

Screenplay: Michail Lurje, Jurijs Saule

Cinematography: Arsenij Gusev

Editing: Jurijs Saule

Set design: Stefan Rohde

Sound: Achim Burkart

Costumes: Riccarda Merten-Eicher

Cast: Zejhun Demirov (Martin), Ulrich Tukur (Professore), Sarah Sandeh (Aliyah), Tanju Bilir (Tanju), Prince Chughtai (Fahid), Ben Akkaya (Süleyman)

Producers: Michail Lurje, Jurijs Saule

Production: Blobel Film

World Sales: Media Luna New Films

Synopsis

Martin visits a professor of Islamic Studies to tell him about an attack he has initiated. Can the professor show Martin a passage from the Quran that says it’s wrong to kill people with bombs? If not, Martin’s bomb will kill many people. The professor has no other weapons other than the word of God itself.

The director: JURIJS SAULE

Jurijs Saule studied literature and mathematics in Berlin. Since he did not attend film school, together with Michail Lurje, who he met 22 years ago on a Jewish youth trip, they founded the production company Blobel Film to realize his dream of directing his first feature film. His script for Martin reads the Quran was awarded the highest German screenplay prize and the golden Lola Award, which enabled the project to receive state funding. Jurijs Saule is a member of the “German Film Academy” (Deutsche Filmakademie e.V.).

Director’s statement

“What would it mean for our society if it could not be proven that the Quran and God himself forbid the use of violence? Must we restrict the beliefs of others if they threaten our way of life? Do we presume to know better than the Almighty? Is Martin a madman, a bloody reformer, or the blurry mirror of a modern citizen forsaken by God?”

Filmography

2023 Martin liest den Koran (Martin Reads The Quran)

Awards and festivals

2022 German Film Awards: Lola d’Oro alla Migliore Sceneggiatura Golden Lola for Best Screenplay
2024 German Film Festival, Madrid
2024 Festival de Cine Aleman, Buenos Aires
2024 Moscow IFF – Concorso Competition: Sharp View Award