Mustang   Deniz Gamze Ergüven

I see Mustang as a kind of fairy tale with mythological motifs such as the Minotaur, the labyrinth, the Hydra (the five-headed monster), the ball – signified here by the soccer match that the girls long to attend. Deniz Gamze Ergüven

Summer in a Turkish village. After the death of their parents, Lale and her four sisters are raised by their uncle. When they are seen innocently playing around in the sea with a couple of boys after school, they cause a scandal. Their behaviour is considered shameless and has dramatic consequences: The family home becomes a prison, classes on moral behaviour replace school, and marriages are arranged. But the five sisters, driven by a desire for freedom, fight back against the limits imposed on them. A mustang is a wild horse that perfectly symbolises my five spirited and untameable heroines. There are visual parallels, too: Their hair is like a horse’s mane, and when they run through the village, they’re like an excited herd of mustangs. For me, this energy is what makes the film special, and the mustang is the perfect symbol. Deniz Gamze Ergüven