Dukhtar

2015 MSPIFF OFFICIAL SELECTION

When the old patriarch of a Pashtun family breaks the news that he has given away his ten-year-old daughter to a powerful tribal leader in marriage to settle a bloody feud, his much younger wife, Allah Rakhi, pulls off a daring escape to free her child from the unfortunate arrangement. As the pair begin their journey into the unknown, a hunt for the mother and the daughter begins in earnest. The escape represents a damning act of dishonour to the family punishable only by death.

On the road, Allah Rakhi and her daughter turn to an unawares truck driver - Sohail - to help them escape their pursuers. When men close in on his truck, however, they are forced to reveal their true identity and purpose, and Sohail must make a choice between saving his own life by turning them in, or choosing to share in their fate. As the relentless chase intensifies, Sohail has no course except to devise an escape plan in the formidable winter landscape where they can be betrayed by any stranger. Even as Allah Rakhi, Sohail and Zainab continue their journey together - their destinies now entwined - Allah Rakhi finds herself falling for a man she is forbidden to love.

Director and writer Afia Nathaniel's award-winning feature debut - Dukhtar (Daughter) - takes viewers on an epic journey through the sweeping landscape of Pakistan where the search for freedom and love comes with a price.

CINE GLOBAL

A program of films, and related events, reflecting the cultures and experiences of new Minnesotans, from Asia, Africa and Latin American countries in particular, as well as from the Mediterranean Basin and the Balkans among other regions with a growing representation here. Cine Global benefits from the advice and insight of an Advisory Group whose members now represent 22 countries. Cine Global is supported in part by a grant provided by the Minnesota State Arts Board.

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