HOUSE WITH A VOICE is about six women in a patriarchal society, about six different life
stories and one mutual decision: giving up femininity and living as men to gain a voice,
to experience personal freedom and to fight for equality. To be a real Burrnesha.
Short Synopsis
HOUSE WITH A VOICE tells the story of six Burrneshas who, for different reasons, have
decided to take on the social role of men. They have done this to circumvent patriarchal
structures, to avoid misogynistic attacks, to support the family economically, to avoid
compelled marriage and to be free. Our characters communicate with us intimately as they
talk about their lives and bring us closely into their personal journey. They speak about
freedom and oppression, about the promise of sacrificing their lives for the sake of their
families' survival. But also about the breaking of gender barriers and the power of the
human mind to decide who we want to be. The film turns stereotypes and projections of
gender discussions upside down. The Burrneshas expand our awareness of human life and its
universal conditions but in the end their story shows that the essences of life, which are
identified as female, are held as less valuable, even less worth living. And that this
remains so, worldwide.