Desert Flower

A corridor at the UN Headquarters in New York. A young woman is trying to pull herself together: Waris Dirie is about to hold her first speech to the United Nations. A long way to come. Like in a fairy tale, Somalian-born Waris Dirie became one of the world's most soughtafter top models. Born into a family of goat-herding nomads, Waris' fascinating path would take her from the Northeast African deserts to the world's most prestigious fashion runways and magazines. At 13, Waris fled forced marriage and crossed days of desert alone before reaching the Somali capital Mogadishu. Relatives soon shipped her off to London to work as a servant in the Somali embassy, where she spent the rest of her adolescent years in illiteracy...

Awards & Festivals: Venice 2009 (Giornate degli autori), Audience Award - Best European Film - San Sebastián 2009