Zahira, an 18-year-old Belgian woman with Pakistani roots, is very close to her family—until her parents pressure her into an arranged marriage. Torn between family expectations and her Western lifestyle, she seeks support from her brother Amir. The film NOCES by Stephan Streker is based on the true story of Sadia Sheikh, a young Belgian woman of Pakistani origin who was murdered by her brother in 2007 because she resisted a forced marriage. Streker stages the story as a modern tragedy that highlights the conflicts between tradition and individual freedom. The lead role of Zahira is played by Lina El Arabi, whose performance has been praised by critics as impressive. The film premiered at the 2016 Toronto International Film Festival and has been shown at numerous international festivals. At the Magritte Awards, NOCES received eight nominations, including for Best Film and Best Director, and won two awards.

Keywords

• Belgian cinema
• Family Affairs
• Les René du Cinéma (ex-Magritte)
• Movies That Matter Film Festival
• Portraits of empowered women
• Women's Rights
• family
• relationship
• religion
• women

Actors

• Alice de Lencquesaing
• Olivier Gourmet
• Lina El Arabi
• Neena Kulkarni
• Sébastien Houbani
• Barak Karimi
• Aurora Marion
• Zacharie Chasseriaud

Director

• Stephan Streker