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English Titles D

Dunya & Desie

Original title: Dunya & Desie
German title: Dunya & Desie
Belgium, Netherlands, 2007

Director: Nechushtan, Dana
Production company: Lemming Film
Age recommendation: 14 years and up

Synopsis:
Dunya and Desie are best friends. Both girls are 18 years old – but that’s all they have in common. Dunya is Moroccan born and bred: Ramadan, Imam and Mecca are not just foreign words to her but form an integral part of her life. Desie on the other hand is Dutch – as Dutch as cheese, clogs and tulips!
When Dunya learns on her eighteenth birthday that her family has chosen a groom for her she is anything but delighted. She is to marry a distant cousin, somewhere in Morocco. Desie, on the other hand, has quite a different problem: she’s pregnant. She never knew her father, but her desire to meet him is getting stronger and stronger. When she discovers that he lives in Morocco, the two girlfriends make a snap decision to go there.
This marks the beginning of an exciting adventure for the pair – for Morocco is not Amsterdam, but a foreign, ‘exotic’ land. A whole set of new experiences await Dunya and Desie, as well as strange and funny encounters. But they face real challenges and must make life-changing decisions.
DUNYA & DESIE marks the continuation of a three-part series that was shown to great acclaim on Dutch television from 2002–04. The director of this film, Dana Nechushtan, was also the series’ director, and the roles of Dunya and Desie in the series were played Maryam Hassouni and Eva van de Wijdeven, who also appear in this film.

Festivals:
Genration 14 plus Berlin 2008, Kristiansand 2008, Cinekid Amsterdam 2008, Cinepaenz Cologne 2008, Youngabout Bologna 2009, Leeds Young People's Film Festival 2009, Sprockets Toronto 2009, Stockholm Junior 2009, Nueva Mirada Buenos Aires 2009 (awarded), Gaffa Vienna 2009

World sales address/es:
Attraction Distribution (CDN)

Sold to:
Kinderkanal (D)