At 14 Rabha El Haimer was an illiterate child bride, beaten, raped and then rejected. Ten years later, she is a single mother, fighting to legalise her sham marriage and secure a future for her illegitimate daughter. With unprecedented access to the Moroccan justice system, “Bastards” follows Rabha’s fight from the Casablanca slums to the high courts.
A documentary about young girls forced into marriage.
Nepalese women are telling their stories arranged marriages. In the jungle of western Nepal lives Fofo, who is married off at the age of 10 to a man of 20. When Thuli becomes a widow after 10 childbirths she is mocked at by both neighbours and relatives. Savitri did not even know the name of the groom she was marrying and she was not even allowed to see him during the wedding ceremony. Nepalese law does not allow child marriage but the law does not reach girls who have never been to school and are living in areas with no roads. This film shows some of the reasons behind the 40 % guerrilla women in the Nepalese Maoist army.
Mary loves John, but she was forced to marry a wealthy man instead. A meeting with her lover has fatal consequences.
The Vietnamese Nghi has a bad feeling as she sees the foreign Chinese groom for the first time on the day of her daughter’s wedding. Nghi and Phuong decided that the 17 years old should get married to relieve the family of their debts. But then, the bride disappears after the ceremony and the mother faces the decision what she is ready to give for her family's happiness.
Destined by a secret alliance to become the 7th wife of an old pensioner with an exslave character, MARTHA sees her dream of success vanish the day after obtaining her exam to allow her to leave the village and continue her studies in the city. His future in the hands of the powerful polygamist who, thanks to his means, reigns supreme throughout the country, is now summed up in CTA namely Cook, Work (the bed) and Give birth. But it is without counting on this strength, this determination, this bravery and this tenacity that only these women of vision possess, whatever their social background.
An aspiring footballer falls for a student destined for an arranged marriage. An attempt to fake a marriage goes awry and threatens to tear the couple apart forever.
Follows Molina, a 12-year old Malawian girl who is forced to leave school and enter an arranged marriage to improve the family's economic standing. Once married, Molina quickly becomes a young mother and the victim of an abusive husband until the arrival of Chief Kachindamoto.
Child marriages have been an unnoticed reality in some sections of the Muslim community in Sri Lanka. This film tells the story of Fatima, a 16-year old school girl, who is set to marry a man far older than her. Not only her right to education is denied but her consent to marriage too. Until she accidentally meets her future husband, she has not even seen him. She is caught up between her hopes and the reality of her destiny.
Ali is the image of modern Africa. He happily returns from a football match on his motorbike but a nasty surprise is waiting for him at his parents' home: he finds Haoua, his bride-to-be, waiting for him. The wedding is celebrated shortly afterwards and the two begin living together under the same roof. They are strangers but cannot stand each other. Haoua is the classic traditional woman who has just arrived from the village, God-fearing and faithful to the laws of tradition. Ali's friends advise him to look for a second wife. He meets Henriette, an uninhibited and provocative city girl, the woman of his dreams. To meet Henriette's constant requests, Ali 'borrows' some money from the coffers of commander Soleymane, but he is discovered and ends up in prison. Henriette is furious and leaves him, whilst Haoua cries for him in despair.
Expecting their first child, a married couple struggles to find romance and connection while building a new life together in America.
Shanghai has a park where parents can match-make their unwed children. This is just one love story in a city of 20 million lovers.
To meet the desires and needs of the parents, a marriage is arranged between 14-year-old Gjino and 20-year-old Marigo. Gjino reluctantly obeys, but Marigo, who loves another, tries various devious methods to free herself from this bizarre marriage agreement.
Two Bangladeshi girls born and raised in London have weddings arranged for them against their will by their family. Shahanara, the rebel of the family, banished from the family in her teens for being "too Western", has to swap her pink hot pants for a sari as she goes off to the airport to meet her new Bangladeshi husband. Her sister Hushnara is the opposite of Shahanara; a devout Muslim who agrees to marry so she doesn't upset her parents.
Don’t Be Afraid (Daro Mat) revolves around the less spoken about Indian Girl. The indian girl who is smart and yet devoid of opinions as ‘ having an opinion’ was never an option. The movie depicts her strength portrayed by simple thoughts.
In a small Chechen village, Yaha spends her days with Madina, with whom she is very close. Both girls dream of leaving their homes after graduation and escaping to the real world, far from their village. Yaha’s older sister Heda also dreams of being free, but the price for this is very high - if she decides to try for a divorce, her only son will be taken away from her, such are the traditions in her culture. Will Yaha, Madina and Heda succeed to get free, and at what cost?
three sisters disguised as men and run away to their uncle in Cairo escaping their father pressure to marry them to their cousins, while their father gets angry and decides to send their cousins to look for them.
Tariq's aristocratic family has arranged for him to marry Bilquis, the daughter of a rich judge. However, while out in the city one night, he catches sight of a woman he believes to be Bilquis, and falls in love with her. The woman turns out to be an orphan from the lower class - a henna artist named Ines.
Ryu Ho Sun and Choi Hwa Jin are set to have arranged marriage, but she disappears during their wedding. Choi Ki Wan pretends and dresses up as a woman. (Edited version for the movie)