Event Details
April 12, 2025
2:00 PM EDT
TIFF Lightbox, 350 King Street West, Toronto, ON M5V 3X5
Sometimes, the journey matters more than where it leads. Fuelled by larger-than-life dreams, best friends Doe and Muna run away from their troubled UK homes, drawn into the promise of a new life in Syria. At just 15, they find the journey deeply transformative — marked by brutal realities, rising doubts, encounters that challenge their beliefs, and a newfound sense of freedom.
Acclaimed theatre director Nadia Fall’s bold feature debut is as courageous as its protagonists; a visceral coming-of-age exploration of girlhood, religion, and the immutable power of friendship. Told through Suhayla El-Bushra’s compassionate and fearless writing, Brides humanizes its leads, capturing the lighthearted moments of their friendship among the tragic weight of their choices. Ebada Hassan and Safiyya Ingar’s brilliant performances pull us in deep: Doe is introspective and devout with quiet struggles that unfold through kaleidoscope flashbacks, while Muna’s bold defiance powers their journey. A “Bad Girls” M.I.A. needle drop injects a sense of rebellion, an echo of their teenage innocence, clouded by the danger of their decisions.
Brides forces you out of your comfort zone, entangling questions of identity and faith. Raw, thought-provoking, and deeply humanizing, it is sure to spark ever-urgent conversations. – RONI HAREL HABER, TIFF Next Wave Committee
Content advisory: mature themes, violence, frightening scenes
Toronto Arab Film is a Community Partner to Next Wave Film Festival.
Screenings:
Brides
Country: United Kingdom, Italy
Director: Nadia Fall
Length: 92 mins
Synopsis: Antigone, is a 16-year-old girl who came to Canada from Algeria, as a child. While she excels at school, her two brothers have turned to crime. When one ends up in jail and is threatened with deportation, she comes up with a dangerous plan to have him released. “Antigone” is a modern adaptation of the Greek tragedy, in which a young woman with an indestructible love of family and justice takes on the authorities.