The Exam

If Rojin doesn’t pass the university entrance exam, she will have to go through with an arranged marriage. If she does get in, she will be free. For Rojin’s older sister Shilan, who is suffering at the hands of a despotic husband, the idea that she might not get through is inconceivable, so she makes every effort to ensure Rojin succeeds. There is no way she will allow her sister to meet the same fate as her. Yet every well-meant action just brings further problems… Set in war-torn Iraqi Kurdistan, Shawkat Amin Korki’s drama boldly examines a theme deliberately ignored in Middle Eastern cinema – the subject of women’s rights: their entitlement not only to education, but also to make decisions about their own lives. (Karlovy Vary International Film Festival)