| Elbow | |
| Native Name: | |
| Director: | Aslı Özarslan |
| Music: | Delphine Mantoulet |
| Cinematography: | Andac Karabeyoglu-Thomas |
| Distributor: | jip Film & Verleih |
| Runtime: | 86 minutes |
Elbow (de|Ellbogen) is a 2024 coming-of-age drama film co-written and directed by Aslı Özarslan in her directorial debut. The film, an adaptation of the Franz-Hessel-Preis and Klaus-Michael Kühne prize-winning German novel German: Ellbogen by Fatma Aydemir, is a story about 17-year-old Hazal, who lives in Berlin. Her biggest wish for her 18th birthday is to escape the everyday grind and party with her friends. But a fatal incident changes everything and she is forced to flee.[1]
The international co-production between Germany, Turkey and France was selected for the Generation 14plus section at the 74th Berlin International Film Festival, where it had its world premiere on 17 February and competed for the Crystal Bear for the Best Film.[2] Aslı Özarslan, making her feature directing debut, was nominated for GWFF Best First Feature Award at the festival.
The film tells the story of many young people who are pushed to the sidelines of society, yet want to belong.
17-year-old Hazal lives in Berlin. She wants a chance in life; her fervent wish is to get one step further than her parents. She fails to get any response to her hundreds of job applications. On her 18th birthday, she wants to forget her humdrum life, and party with her best friends. But everything changes after a fatal incident, and she flees alone to Istanbul, a city she is unfamiliar with. Now she is on her own.
Principal photography began on 15 August 2022 in Istanbul and Berlin.[3] Filming ended on 15 October 2022 with filming locations in various regions of Berlin and Turkey.[4] [5]
Elbow had its world premiere on 17 February 2024, as part of the 74th Berlin International Film Festival, in the Generation 14plus section.[6] [7]
Vladan Petkovic, reviewing the film at the Berlinale for Cineuropa, wrote "Özarslan's coming-of-age film set in the Berlin immigrant community and Istanbul stands out for its storytelling economy, unusually dark atmosphere, and thematic variety and depth."[8]
The film was selected for the Generation 14plus section at the 74th Berlin International Film Festival; it was thus nominated to compete for the Crystal Bear award.
| Award | Date | Category | Recipient | Result | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Berlin International Film Festival | 25 February 2024 | Generation 14plus Crystal Bear for Best Feature Film | Aslı Özarslan | [9] | |
| GWFF Best First Feature Award | Aslı Özarslan | [10] | |||