The Girl with Red Ribbon (Franziska Schönenberger / Jayakrishnan Subramanian) India, Germany |

The Girl with Red Ribbon
Franziska Schönenberger/ Jaya Subramanian
India, Germany. 2020. 19 min

Constantly poked fun at by her classmates because of her unruly hair, Viru wants nothing more than the beautiful set of red ribbons her best friend Bhanu wears on her hair, something her own mother cannot afford. Even though Bhanu regularly prays for her in the temple, Viru is riddled with envy. When an unexpected red stain on her dress makes her the source of even greater ridicule, Viru’s desperation mounts.

Franziska Schönenberger/ Jaya Subramanian

Franziska Schönenberger was born in Munich. She studied journalism and media sciences, as well as directing at the University of Television and Film, Munich.

Jayakrishnan Subramanian was born in India. He studied art at the Madras University in Chennai, and graphic design at the National Institute of Design in Ahmedabad. He went on to obtain a masters in media art from the Bauhaus University in Weimar.

They directed together the feature-length documentary AMMA AND APPA, which premiered at the Berlinale International Film Festival and toured more than 50 festivals worldwide. THE SHADOWS OF THE DESERT, their second feature documentary, photographed by Christopher Aoun, the two time Academy Award-nominated cinematographer, premiered in competition at DOKFEST Munich. At the moment their narrative debut feature film, BRIDE WITHOUT DOWRY, is in development.