The Daughters of Abraham

İbrahim’in Kızları / Les filles d’Abraham

DCP / Color / 94’
French and Arabic with Turkish and English Subtitles
France, 2026

Director: Hanaël El Yousfi
Screenplay: Hanaël El Yousfi, Mia Grace Brown
Cinematography: Fabien Faure
Editing: Julien Lacheray
Cast: Mélissa Guers, Ava Baya, Gabrielle Cohen, Bilel Chegrani, Syrus Shahidi
Producer: Charles Gillibert
Production: CG Cinema, France 2 Cinéma
World Sales: Losange Films

Synopsis

“Daughters of Abraham” is a film that addresses the injustices of the patriarchal system, the pressure of the traditional family structure on women, and women’s struggle for liberation through the friendship of two young women from Marseille, both of Moroccan origin—one Jewish and the other Muslim. While the film’s title is not on religious bigotry and the political climate, but on a more ancient form of discrimination: the common thread in both cultures, which is men’s domination over women. Making its international premiere at the Toronto Film Festival, this debut feature film exposes how women are objectified and subjected to psychological and physical violence in the modern world, regardless of their background or religion. The friendship between Myriam, who comes from a Muslim family, and Eva, from a Jewish family—whose brothers and cousins are also friends—is renewed at a wedding they all enjoy together in Marrakech, but it undergoes a severe trial when Myriam’s intimate moments are secretly recorded and leaked. Caught between the cyberbullying of the modern era that ranges from exposure to public lynching on one side, and the violence and hypocrisy of families hiding behind traditional concepts of morality and honor on the other, the daughters of Abraham are forced to make choices that are far from easy… Maintaining a consistently high rhythm and tension with its short runtime despite its emotional intensity and large cast, this film does not shy away from taking a feminist stance.

Screenings