Karin Junger

Karin grew up in Belgium and lives presently in The Netherlands. She attended secondary school in Brussels, studied French language & literature & mass communication at the University of Amsterdam, specializing in film science. She followed the training for directing drama at the Maurits Binger Film Institute in Amsterdam and several workshops, like the Sources script workshop.
She makes fiction and documentaries. Her first documentary won the prestigious Joris Ivens Award. His short film VET! (Great!) won a Silver Bear at the Berlinale and a Gouden Kalf at the Dutch Film Festival. In 2006 she made the film BOLLETJES BLUES, the first urban musical feature in The Netherlands. Her work has been shown at many major international film festivals like IFFR, Tribeca, Margaret Mead Film Festival New York, Cinéma du Réel, Berlinale, Chicago, etc.

Director’s statement
“I wanted to make a realistic movie about the many African women who come to Europe in search of a better life but end up working as prostitutes. Yet I also wanted to capture their energy, their musicality and resilience. So I decided to make a raw modern musical where their story would be enriched by contemporary dance, song and music. Music, which belongs to them and encompasses their history: afrobeat, soul, R & B, gospel, bachata. I want the film to be like a punch in the face, but with hope.”