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Difret

Difret

20146.31h 36m

Overview

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 would-be husband. In her village the practice of abduction into marriage 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.

Directed by Zeresenay Mehari
Written by Zeresenay Mehari
Produced by Mehret Mandefro, Zeresenay Mehari, Leelai Demoz
Box Office0Revenue: $50K

Top Cast

M

Meron Getnet

Meaza Ashenafi

T

Tizita Hagere

Haregewine Assefa

Haregewine Assefa

B

Brook Sheferaw

Mekonnen Leake

Mekonnen Leake

Themes & Keywords

death penaltykidnappingethiopiahuman rightschild kidnapping

About Difret

Difret is a drama film released in 2014 exploring themes of death penalty, kidnapping, ethiopia, human rights, child kidnapping. Directed by Zeresenay Mehari, it stars Meron Getnet, Tizita Hagere, Haregewine Assefa. 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 would-be husband. In her village the practice of abduction into marriage 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.

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