Screening&discussion: Difret

Together with women's rights organization TERRE DES FEMMES we invite you to the preview of the Ethiopian Difret with a following discussion about forced marriages.

In the week of International Women’s Day, TERRE DES FEMMES presents the Ethiopian drama DIFRET (German: “Das Mädchen Hirut”) in cooperation with Feminist Film Week. The inspiring and moving film about a few women’s courageous struggle for human dignity won several audience awards at festivals such as Sundance or the Berlinale.

Monika Michell, TERRE DES FEMMES expert on early (i.e. underage) and forced marriages, will be engage with the audience in questions and discussion after the screening, as well as presenting ways to become involved in countering these human rights violations.

DIFRET – The Film:

„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 rapist and would-be husband. In her village, the practice of abduction into marriage – called ‚telefa’ 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 ongoing work of her women’s legal-aid practice to save Hirut’s life.

Beneath the layer of polite social customs, an aggressively rooted patriarchy perpetuates inhospitable conditions for women in this engrossing and significant film, based on a real-life story. Ethiopian-born writer/director Zeresenay Berhane Mehari portrays, with panoramic beauty, the complexity of a country’s transformation toward equal rights, featuring the courageous generation that dares to own it.“ – Sundance Film Festival

More information about TERRE DES FEMMES and their work: http://www.frauenrechte.de/

Event Info:
Date: Wednesday 11th of March 2015
Time: 8pm
Venue: Brotfabrick (Caligariplatz 1, 13086)
Tickets: €7.50 (€6 reduced admission)
Language: English subtitles, discussion in English.