LINGUI, THE SACRED BONDS (LINGUI) World Cinema

Following the theatrical screening, watch a special conversation with director Mahamat-Saleh Haroun moderated by AFI FEST Programmer Julia Kipnis.

In a complex story of generational struggle, Amina is exiled from her family for being an unwed single mother. She lives on the outskirts of N’Djamena with her now teenage daughter, Maria. When history repeats itself and Maria is expelled from her Islamic-based girl’s school after discovering she is pregnant, Amina is forced to revisit her own life journey. Despite abortion being illegal in Chad and forbidden in Islam, Maria is decisive about ending the pregnancy and Amina is determined to support her no matter the cost.

Acclaimed director Mahamat-Saleh Haroun returns to AFI FEST with a powerful and vivid story of two women on a journey together, navigating the complex and fragile fabric of female support within a patriarchal society. – Sarah Harris