When We Leave (Ayrılık)

In Die Fremde (When We Leave), Umay, a young woman of Turkish origin raised in Germany, settles in Istanbul after her marriage, but her husband's violence turns her life upside down. Taking her small son with her, she flees back to her family's home in Berlin. Her conservative relatives, however, reject her, viewing her decision to leave her husband as a disgrace to the family's honour. Caught between two conflicting systems of values, Umay fights for the right to make her own choices and to build an independent life with her child, confronting pressure and intolerance even from those closest to her.

The film marks the feature debut of Austrian filmmaker Feo Aladag as writer, director and producer, with Sibel Kekilli in the leading role. It had its world premiere on 13 February 2010 in the Panorama section of the Berlin International Film Festival, earned numerous honours including the LUX Prize for European cinema, and was chosen as Germany's official submission for the Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film.