Director: Zeresenay Mehari
Starring: Meron Getnet, Tizita Hegere

Synopsis: Three hours outside of Addis Ababa, Hirut, is on her way home from school when she’s kidnapped by a group of men . She grabs a rifle and tries to escape, but ends up shooting her would-be husband. A female lawyer, Meaza Ashenafi, arrives from the city to represent Hirut embarking on a collision course between civil authority and customary law, and risking the ongoing work of her women’s legal-aid practice. Based on a real-life story.

I saw this film at the BFI London Film Festival in October 2014. Just wow! Beautifully told, with incredible acting from Tizita Hagere as Hirut and Meron Getnet (Meaza). As the story unfolds we’re drawn into the complexities of tradition vs law, of women’s right, child marriages, and the patriarchal social system of Ethiopia, as well as its music, food, culture and landscape. A wonderful film. Difret = Courage.