Summaries

A young lawyer travels to an Ethiopian village to represent Hirut, a 14-year-old girl who shot her would-be husband as he and others were practicing one of the nation's oldest traditions: abduction into marriage.

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. 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.—Sundance Film Festival

Details

Keywords
  • africa
  • true crime
  • tradition
  • kidnapping a teenage girl
  • east africa
Genres
  • Crime
  • Drama
  • History
  • Biography
Release date Sep 24, 2014
Motion Picture Rating (MPA) Unrated
Countries of origin United States Ethiopia
Official sites Official site
Language Amharic
Filming locations Ethiopia
Production companies Haile Addis Pictures Truth Aid

Box office

Gross US & Canada $49667
Opening weekend US & Canada $6777
Gross worldwide $97205

Tech specs

Runtime 1h 39m
Color Color
Aspect ratio 2.35 : 1

Synopsis

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