Elaha

Director: Milena Aboyan
Duration: 1h 49m
Year: 2023

Elaha is a 2023 German drama film directed by Milena Aboyanin her feature-length debut. It follows a Young Kurdish-German Woman named Elaha as she navigates familiar cultural expectations and individual and sexual Freedom right before her wedding. Elaha premiered at the 73rd Berlin International Film Festival in the Perspektive Deutsches Kino section. It was later broadcast on ARTE in December 2025. The film was produced by Kinescope Film GmbH and distributed in Germany by Camino Filmverleih. The Debut was widely praised for its sensitive portrayal of cultural and gender expectations. Kino-Zeit highlighted its “courage and complexity” in depicting the protagonist’s dilemma. Milena Aboyan won the Young Cinema Award for Best Directorial Debut aswell as The New Faces Award for Director, alongside Lead actress Bayan Layla who won for Best New Actress.