Venice Film Festival teaser: Kurdish sniper returns to fight ISIS

The first teaser for 'If a Woman Kills You, There Is No Paradise', directed by Halkawt Mustafa, has been released. The film frames the fight against ISIS as a revenge thriller with a Hollywood aesthetic. It will hold its world premiere next month in the out-of-competition section of the Venice International Film Festival. The story centres on a Kurdish-Norwegian female sniper who returns to Mosul, Iraq, during the height of the ISIS regime. The protagonist is driven by two motives: seeking vengeance for her past and a desperate hope to rescue her younger sister from captivity. The teaser depicts explosions, widespread destruction, and intense tension, showing the young soldier returning to the violence she had previously survived. According to Variety, Mustafa’s film offers a distinct perspective on the ISIS narrative compared to previous cinematic portrayals. This report was written by Alex Ritman for Variety.