Brides

15-year-olds Doe and Muna are going on the trip of a lifetime. Quiet, watchful Doe hasn’t gone anywhere since arriving in the UK as a refugee at the age of three from Somalia. Badass Muna, of Pakistani heritage, is the dominant force. As she leads Doe through airport security, the girls are giddy and hysterical but their mood changes as soon as their flight is announced.

These girls are not going on holiday, but to Istanbul, to be met by a stranger who will take them to the border to start a new life in Syria. Disaster strikes when their chaperone doesn’t show up, but they form a new plan to continue their journey alone, testing their resolve, their faith and their friendship. As we discover the experiences that led them here, the girls get ever closer to their destination, so must confront the reality of their futures.

Director Nadia Fall

Screenplay Suhayla El-Bushra

Producers Nicky Bentham, Marica Stocchi

Cast Ebada Hassan, Safiyya Ingar, Yusra Warsama, Cemre Ebuzziya, Aziz Capkurt

Sales agent Bankside Films

Credits summary BFI, Ffilm Cymru Wales, Welsh Government via Creative Wales, Great Point Media, the Italian Ministry of Culture Minority Co-production Fund, Friuli Venezia Giuila Audiovisual regional fund and Rai Cinema