If Luck Will Come
Camille Bildsøe / Denmark, Iceland & Norway / 2026 / World Premiere / 90 min
Through beautiful images and with a camera at eye level with its young protagonists, we gain a rare insight into what it means to grow up in Afghanistan after the Taliban took power.
In Afghanistan, there is a world of difference between being 12 and 14 years old – especially if you are a girl. It is this brutal transition that Danish filmmaker Camille Bildsøe captures in her lovingly observant and visually powerful debut, filmed over three years and with a close look at two children in the midst of a society that closes in on them.
Zahra and Zalgai have shared their childhood and circus training in Kabul. But their paths diverge as rights and opportunities disappear. When Zahra turns 14, she is deprived of her right to education – solely because she is a girl. Shortly afterwards, she is expected to step into an adult role she has not chosen for herself. At the same time, Zalgai is forced into the labour market when his father falls ill and the bills pile up.
In a harsh reality where children are made responsible for a society in disarray, the circus is one of the last places of freedom. ‘If Luck Will Come’ is a powerful political testimony to the brief moment before freedom becomes forbidden and to a young generation that thirsts for a life of freedom.