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Difret (12A)

Drama

Three hours outside of Addis Ababa, a bright 14-year-old girl is on her way home from school when men on horses swoop in and kidnap her. The brave Hirut grabs a rifle and tries to escape, but ends up shooting her would-be husband. Read more …

In her village, the practice of abduction into marriage is common and one of Ethiopia's oldest traditions. Meaza Ashenafi, an empowered and tenacious young lawyer, arrives from the city to represent Hirut and argue that she acted in self-defense. Meaza boldly embarks on a collision course between enforcing civil authority and abiding by customary law, risking the continuing work of her women's legal-aid practice to save Hirut's life. 

More information on this production is available at www.sodapictures.com.

The critical consensus

Cinematically, the film is a mixed bag.

***(*)(*)Angie Errigo, The List, 02/03/2015

Quietly compelling, but lacks finesse in its characterisation and dogged denunciation of the Ethiopian justice system.

***(*)(*)David Parkinson, Empire Online, 02/03/2015

Misogyny, tradition, innocence and experience are among the themes given a sophisticated treatment herein.

Sophie Monks Kaufman, Little White Lies, 06/03/2015

This Ethiopian docudrama recreates the game-changing legal case involving a 14-year-old who shot her kidnapper.

***(*)(*)Leslie Felperin, The Guardian, 05/03/2015

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