BINTI – Es gibt mich!

Director´s Statement

I’m fascinated by courageous characters, in this case children who are fighting for what they know they deserve. Who have a voice worth listening to, if only someone would pass them the mic. I was young when I thought I knew what I wanted to do in life, and I lived in an environment that allowed me to do exactly that. Every single day, I’m grateful for this. Because imagine: You are a teenager, dreaming of a future with all you friends. But whilst they have the freedom to develop their talents, you don’t even have the freedom to show your ID, because you don’t have one. 12-year-old Binti dreams of being famous (which 12-year-old does not? I know I did) but on paper, she doesn’t exist. Online though, she has more than a thousand followers. Something’s just not right about that.

Binti meets Elias, a lonely Belgian animal lover who wants to save the okapi and is still dealing with his parent’s divorce. She wants to match her dad to Elias’ mom because she believes that in doing so, she will be able to stay in Belgium. Elias dreams of organizing a benefit to save the okapis, but he can’t do so on his own. Although at first, they have separate agendas, both children will eventually understand that together they stand stronger, that they need each other, and that together is better than alone. Binti is a film in which two children learn that they need each other to accomplish their dreams.

Despite the seriousness of the subject, Binti is an entertaining and approachable film, full of color, humour, friendship and love. It believes in a successful multi-cultural society and in following your dreams. The social drama gets a positive twist in combining it with the energy and humour of a romantic comedy.

Int. Press Kit