Sisters in Law (film)

Sisters in Law: Stories from a Cameroon Court
Sisters in Law: Stories from a Cameroon Court
	State prosecutor Vera Ngassa, left, and Court President Beatrice Ntuba.
Directed by	Florence Ayisi, Kim Longinotto
Starring	Vera Ngassa, Beatrice Ntuba
Release date	2005;
Running time	104 minutes
Country	Cameroon
Languages	Pidgin English, subtitled

Sisters in Law: Stories from a Cameroon Court (2005) is a feature-length documentary film by Florence Ayisi and Kim Longinotto portraying aspects of women's lives and work in the judicial system in Cameroon, West Africa.

Plot[]

The film centres around four cases in Cameroon involving violence against women. It shows women seeking justice and effecting change on universal human interests issues. It also shows strong and positive images of women and children in Cameroon. Portrays the lives of women in children in Cameroon and living by the Islamic law (Sharia law.) In addition, the cases that are examined within the film particularly deal mainly with the inequality of women and children. Specifically one of the children was beaten with a cane and the aunt was charged with child abuse.

Reception[]

Lois Vossen and Debra Zimmerman at the 67th Annual Peabody Awards for Independent Lens-Sisters in Law

Sisters In Law has been screened in over 120 film festivals around the world, and also in Art House cinemas in Europe and USA. In the US, it aired on the PBS series Independent Lens. It has won many film awards including the prestigious Prix Art et Essai at the Cannes film festival in May 2005,^[1] Best Documentary Film at Hawaii International Film Festival, Audience Award at International Documentary Film Festival Amsterdam (IDFA), Best Documentary on a Contemporary issue, Grierson Award, Social Justice Award for Documentary Film at Santa Barbara International Film Festival, Best International Documentary at Real Life on Film Festival, Melbourne and Best Single Documentary, Royal Television Society. In 2007, Sisters In Law won a Peabody Award.^[2]

Critical response[]

Review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes reports that 92% of 26 critic reviews were positive, with an average rating of 7.1/10. The website's critics consensus reads, "Enlightening, uplifting, and compelling, Sisters in Law takes an unflinching -- and often humorous -- look at efforts to effect legal progress for Muslim women in Cameroon."^[3]

References[]

^ "Kim Longinotto". Women Make Movies. Retrieved June 23, 2011.
^ 67th Annual Peabody Awards, May 2008.
^ "Sisters in Law (2005)". Retrieved July 24, 2021.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)

External links[]

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[1] "Kim Longinotto". Women Make Movies. Retrieved June 23, 2011.

[2] 67th Annual Peabody Awards, May 2008.

[RT-3] "Sisters in Law (2005)". Retrieved July 24, 2021.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)

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