Promised Sky
New York African Film Festival 2026
May 6 - 12
The opening night film at Cannes’ Un Certain Regard, Erige Sehiri’s bittersweet drama stars César Award nominee Aïssa Maïga as an Ivorian pastor living in Tunisia, forming a makeshift family with the young women who find refuge in her home.
Marie, an Ivorian pastor and former journalist, has lived in Tunisia for 10 years. Her home becomes a refuge for Naney, a young mother seeking a better future, and Jolie, a student carrying her family’s expectations. With the arrival of Kenza, a little orphan girl and shipwreck survivor, Marie takes on the role of caregiver. As the four women grow closer, they navigate poverty, displacement, and the fragile bonds of a makeshift family in a tense social climate. Selected as the opening film in the 2025 Cannes Un Certain Regard program, the latest drama from director Erige Sehiri (Under the Fig Trees) features a stellar cast including César Award-nominated Aïssa Maïga (Bamako, Above Water, Toussaint Louverture). A Film Movement release.
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