story
Twelve-year-old Binti dreams of becoming a famous vlogger like her idol Tatyana. But when the police raid her home, and try to deport her and her dad, they are forced to flee. Binti meets Elias and the two become friends. While Binti helps Elias to vlog about his 'save-the-okapi-club', she hatches the perfect plan: her dad has to marry Elias’s mom, so they can stay in Belgium.
Frederike Migom is a director, writer and actor. After studying drama and working in New York she moved to Paris to study filmmaking, working on various projects in Paris and abroad. In 2011 she landed in Brussels, her current base, where she worked as an assistant producer, before setting out to direct her first short film, Malakim, in 2013. Malakim was followed by Adam & Everything (2014) and Nkosi Coiffure (2015). The latter has screened at Tribeca, BFI and many other film festivals, winning awards in Valladolid, Washington and Brussels, among others. Frederike went on to direct a short documentary, Si-G, which screened at festivals all over the world. Binti is Frederike’s feature debut.
»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. /…/ 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.«
- Frederike Migom