MUSTANG New Auteurs

France’s Foreign Language Oscar® submission and winner of the Europa Cinemas Label award at the Cannes Directors’ Fortnight, Deniz Gamze Ergüven’s debut feature is a coming-of-age story that follows five sisters living in a Turkish village. When a seemingly innocent act challenges the notion of how young women should behave, the sisters are locked away in the family home. All connections to the outside world are removed, dresses are made brown and shapeless and the girls are forced to learn the skills of “good wives” while marriages are arranged. Like wild mustangs, these young women cannot be tamed and instead fight back against the limits and restrictions imposed on them. Written by Turkish-born Ergüven and fellow New Auteurs filmmaker Alice Winocour (DISORDER), MUSTANG is a powerful take on the perception of femininity, morality and sexual repression in contemporary Turkey. Winner of the Europa Cinemas Label award at the 2015 Directors’ Fortnight in Cannes. – Jenn Murphy