German-Turkish auteur Fatih Akin has launched the San Sebastian Film Festival with his supernatural romance “Ghost Song.” The Hamburg-set project adapts into both a feature film and a graphic novel illustrated by Bea Davies.
San Sebastian Opening With Supernatural Romance
The film stars newcomer Mariam Dawoud as Farasha, a Syrian refugee student who dies in a car crash alongside 20-year-old university graduate Faris. Eren M. Güvercin plays Faris. Following the tragedy, Farasha returns as a spirit permitted to visit the living in their dreams for a traditional 40-day mourning period.
Return to Major Festival Competition
“Ghost Song” marks Fatih Akin’s first time competing at a major film festival since his 2019 serial-killer drama “The Golden Glove” screened at the Berlinale.
Akin co-wrote the screenplay with Ruth Tomas. The project contrasts sharply with the director’s recent commercial biographical features, including the rap-scene crime saga “Rheingold” and the 1940s coming-of-age story “Amrum.” Festival screenings in San Sebastian showcased a primarily black-and-white print shot by cinematographer Frank Griebe, though Akin also oversaw a parallel color version for theatrical release.
The Telemichel Tragic Catalyst
The story begins at a graduation party held inside Hamburg’s landmark Heinrich Hertz Tower, commonly known as the Telemichel.
There, Farasha and Faris share an immediate connection over mutual physics studies and overlapping backgrounds. A sudden late-night car accident plunges their vehicle into the Elbe river. Faris wakes up hospitalized while Farasha discovers she is dead and invisible to the living.
Forty Days in the Dream Realm
Guided by her late father, Farasha learns she can communicate with Faris exclusively through his dreams during the 40 days permitted by traditional Muslim mourning customs.
This dynamic sets up what the characters describe as a long-distance relationship.
Monochrome Hamburg and Graphic Novel Expansion
Frank Griebe’s widescreen monochrome cinematography frames Hamburg’s urban geography, utilizing nocturnal streetscapes and brutalist monuments to construct an atmospheric backdrop for the romance.
The narrative explores Farasha's identity as a young Syrian immigrant who wears a traditional headscarf while pursuing modern academic goals and managing her personal autonomy. Reviewers note that the film’s generational targeting is further reinforced by its simultaneous release as a graphic novel created in collaboration with artist Bea Davies.
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