Director
Maja-Ajmia Yde Zellama
Cast
Safa Gharbaoui, Mehdi Bouziane, Mounir Amamra, Nora Dari
Edition 2025
84'
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2025
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Drama
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Format:
DCP
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Dialogue:
Arabic, Dutch, French
Fresh off a world premiere and special mention at the Berlinale, Brussels-based director Maja-Ajmia Yde Zellama's poignant feature debut is a deeply-felt coming-of-ager. In Têtes brûlées, we follow – empathetically observed and without any judgment – twelve-year-old Eya’s grieving process after the death of her brother, in one of the biggest, most quiet surprises of the year.
In 2021, Maja-Ajmia Yde Zellama presented her short film Okht Elmarhoum, about a young girl who loses her older brother and seeks comfort from his friends. The Brussels-based director expands on that theme in her uncompromising feature debut Têtes brûlées, a restrained drama that had its world premiere at the Berlinale, where it received a Special Mention from the jury in the Generation 14plus competition. Twelve-year-old Eya is suddenly confronted with an immeasurable loss when her beloved older brother Younès dies unexpectedly. She finds solace in religion, rituals, and the company of friends and family, but above all must draw on her own creativity and resilience to come to terms with the grief. The result is a tender, nuanced portrait of a mourning process, one that radically redefines what “young adult” can mean.
Image gallery
Credits
Directors
Maja-Ajmia Yde Zellama
Sound Designer
David Vranken
Cast
Safa Gharbaoui, Mehdi Bouziane, Mounir Amamra, Nora Dari
Scenario
Maja-Ajmia Yde Zellama
Director of Photography
Grimm Vandekerckhove
Editors
Dieter Diependaele
Producers
Nabil Ben Yadir, Marc Goyens
Co producers
Quetzalcoatl
Sales agent
MAD World
Production studios
Komoko
More info
Dialogue
Arabic, Dutch, French
Countries of production
Belgium
Year
2025
Filmography
Maja-Ajmia Yde Zellama
Okht Elmarhoum (short, 2021), Têtes brûlées (2025)
Technical Specs
Format
DCP
