English summary

“Vibrant, rebellious road movie”

Full of life and free-spirited, Djam is a Greek girl who lives on the island of Lesbos with her stepfather. He sends her to Istanbul to find an engine part for their broken-down boat, including a detour to pick up a collection of vintage LPs of rebetiko music.

In Istanbul she meets Avril, a young French woman who had noble plans to help refugees, but has lost her money and passport. Djam befriends her and together they travel back to Greece. It will be a road trip full of chance encounters and musical interludes.

Djam is full of energy, pulsates with music, has a great cast and fully exploits the charisma of the wonderful lead actress, Daphne Patakia. Director Tony Gatlif, himself a refugee from Algeria, has been making movies with a great deal of verve for decades: intense musical films about freedom, kinship and exile.