Bates Film Festival: Four Daughters / Breaking the News

Four Daughters
dir. Kaouther Ben Hania
2023 | 107 min.
11 am

Breaking the News
dir. Heather Courtney, Princess A. Hairston, and Chelsea Hernandez
2023 | 99 min.
2 pm

Four Daughters

A riveting exploration of rebellion, memory, and sisterhood, Four Daughters reconstructs the story of Olfa Hamrouni and her four daughters, unpacking a complex family history through intimate interviews and performance to examine how the Tunisian woman’s two eldest daughters were radicalized. Casting professional actresses as the missing eldest daughters Ghofrane and Rahma, along with acclaimed Egyptian-Tunisian actress Hend Sabri as Olfa, director Kaouther Ben Hania restages pivotal moments in the family’s life, interwoven with confessions and reflections from Olfa and younger daughters Eya and Tayssir that capture moments of joy, loss, violence, and heartache. Four Daughters is a compelling portrait of five women and a unique and ambitious work of nonfiction storytelling that questions the nature of memory, the weight of inherited trauma, and the ties that bind mother and daughter.

Awards: Academy Award Nominee, Best Documentary Feature; Best Documentary, Independent Spirit Award; Best Documentary, Cannes Film Festival

Breaking the News

Seeking to buck the white male status quo, a group of women and LGBTQ+ journalists launch a news startup asking who’s been omitted from mainstream coverage, and how to include them.

Awards: David Carr Award for Truth in Documentary Filmmaking, Montclair Film Festival