“Rabia”, interview with the director Mareike Engelhardt

Director Mareike Engelhardt debuts in competition at Alice nella Città with her bold first feature film “Rabia”. The film delves into the disturbing phenomenon of radicalization, confronting the difficult questions surrounding political extremism, manipulation, and gender-based violence.

A Tale of Radicalization and Entrapment

At the heart of “Rabia”is the story of a young woman who leaves her home to join the jihad in Syria, only to find herself imprisoned in a women’s house.

The film is based on real-life events during a significant period of global conflict. Between 2014 and 2017, thousands of young people left their homes to join jihadist groups, and a third of them were women. Engelhardt recalls her astonishment upon learning this: “They were between 14 and 20 years old… that in itself for me was unb