My Sunny Maad

When Herra, a Czech woman, falls in love with Nazir, an Afghan, she has no idea about the life that awaits her in the post- Taliban Afghanistan, nor about the family she is about to join. A grandfather who is a feminist, an adopted young boy who astounds with his intellect, and Freshta who will do anything to run away from her abusive husband. Like the other women in the family, Herra wears a burka and hides in a closet when guests arrive. She soon starts a new job with an American woman, Heidi, who has little understanding of the way women live in Afghanistan, and still less that not everybody wants to be saved by the Westerners.

Director’s statement
The main strength of the story based on Petra Prochazkova’s novel lies in gentle humour and well observed everyday details of the family life. My Sunny Maad is a deeply moving story that makes me laugh and cry at the same time. A universal tale of husbands and wives, lovers and friends, who all seek happiness and acceptance against the backdrop of the unexpected events emerging around them. It is a story about the conceptions of human faith in a war-stricken country, seen through the eyes of the main heroine, the Czech woman Herra. I found a story in which I can fully use the possibilities of an animated film to share the strong emotion, thrill and, most importantly to me, the specific humour through sound, and musical and visual stylization.