Nine years after the death of three-year-old Yagmur in Hamburg, a short film based on the girl’s fate is now being made. Filming on the five-minute strip “Yaya – Ein Leben” is scheduled to begin this week in the Hanseatic city and be completed in November, said producer Alexander Müller-Elsner. Benjamin Bayer will be directing, Marius von Felbert is responsible for the camera. The film is to be shown in December at the annual presentation of the Yagmur Memorial Prize “Civil Courage in Child Protection” by the Yagmur Memorial Foundation in Hamburg City Hall. He should also be seen on social networks.
On December 18, 2013, three-year-old Yagmur from Hamburg died in agony from being beaten by her mother. She has been looked after by youth welfare offices since she was born. A test report confirmed a chain of errors. The filmmakers can’t exactly trace Yagmur’s life story. “This affects personal rights,” said Müller Elsner. “This film is based on her fate, but we are not allowed to mention her in words and pictures.” According to him, “Yaya” was chosen as the film title because that was the girl’s nickname. The film should address the ubiquitous child abuse and sensitize society. The budget is said to be around 50,000 euros.
The artistic idea of the film: “We pretend that the girl would actually live her life from six months to her 18th birthday.” it can be” was. Different actresses are used. The special feature: the camera keeps looking over the shoulders of the protagonists. This should enable the viewer to empathize with the child’s feelings, explained Müller-Elsner. The film project, which had been planned for a long time, had to be postponed due to the corona.