FINALIST LIFE BEYOND BORDERS Sınırsız Hayatlar Directed by Haydar Demirtaş Doc. / 62 min. / 2026 / with English subtitles In the shadow of the long-standing border disputes between Iran and Iraq, the mountains bear silent witness as mules, laden with diesel, fabric, and cigarettes, carry not only goods but human destiny itself. The arduous journey begins in the Iraqi city of Penjwen, crossing steep cliffs, misty passes, and valleys cloaked in deathly silence, until it reaches a small village on the Iranian side. Where mules can no longer climb, the burden shifts onto human shoulders — and the line between life and death narrows to a fragile mountain path. Life Beyond Borders bears witness to this unseen world and its silent journeys. Eyyup, who portrayed a child smuggler in Bahman Ghobadi’s A Time for Drunken Horses (2002), still walks the same mountains, carrying the same weight two decades later. His story becomes a mirror where fiction and reality intertwine. Through Eyyup, we meet his companions in struggle: Ata, a painter who builds his life through art and the harsh labor of the mountains; and Ako, a kung-fu athlete on Iran’s national team who smuggles by day to sustain his passion by night. Each embodies the resilience of a land caught between two borders — and the quiet persistence to simply exist. Through their intersecting stories, the film portrays labor, dignity, and survival, carried by the wind’s howl and the stillness of snow-covered peaks. Life Beyond Borders is not merely a story of smuggling — it is a portrait of humanity suspended between borders. Selected Festivals and Awards Film Festival della Lessinia, Italy (2026) Torelló Mountain Film Festival, Spain (2026) Director Haydar Demirtaş Haydar Demirtaş (Mardin, 1984) began his journey in cinema by attending workshops organized by the BBC at the Mardin Youth and Culture Center, as well as film workshops conducted by Istanbul Kültür University in Mardin. He later studied Communication at the Faculty of Art and Design, Istanbul Kültür University, with a scholarship. His first short film The Traveling Blacksmith and his documentary My Father Builds History, which portrays his father, received several awards at national and international festivals. In 2013, his documentary The Guest was screened at numerous festivals, including the Cannes Short Film Corner, earning multiple awards. His 2018 documentary The Footprint, which continues to be featured in international festivals, has won over ten awards. Demirtaş currently lives and works in Mardin, where he founded Ajans Ba, producing promotional films, documentaries for TRT, and commercial projects, while also organizing film workshops for young filmmakers.   FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 6, 2026 6:30 p.m. Goethe-Institut Boston 170 Beacon Street TICKET INFORMATION: GET YOUR DAILY PASS With the DAILY PASS you can watch any or all the films screened on November 6 OR BUY A COMPETITION PASS With the COMPETITION PASS you can watch all the films screened at the Goethe-Institut Boston on October 30 & Nov. 6-8