Nicolas Greinacher’s topical film Ayaneh shares the story of a Muslim girl (Afsaneh Dehrouyeh) who, after embarking on a romance with a Swiss girl, rebels against the constraints of her family and religion. Ayaneh won the Flickers’ Ambassador Award at the high profile Rhode Island International Film Festival.

Set in Switzerland, our story follows Ayaneh, a young refugee from Afghanistan. One day at a public swimming pool she meets Anna and instantly feels attracted to her. As the relationship between the two women develops, Ayaneh is confronted with growing resistance from her religious family.

Nicolas Greinacher is an award-winning film director from Switzerland. His talent was discovered 2013 when he won the Directorial Discovery Award at the prestigious Rhode Island International Film Festival for his very first film. Since then, Nicolas’ films have screened at over 30 International Film Festivals, theatres, online and television.

Ayaneh stars Afsaneh Dehrouyeh (Tyrant), Mitra Zahedi (Women Without Men), Mo Ahmadi (Tatort) and introduces Ladina von Frisching. This live-action short was produced by Rajko Jazbec and Dario Schoch (Goliath) and the stunning cinematography was created by Carlotta Holy-Steinemann. On the script, Nicolas was assisted by Oscar-nominated Swiss-Iranian filmmaker Talkhon Hamzavi.

AYANEH – Trailer from Nicolas Greinacher on Vimeo.