An 18 year old on the island of Djerba, Aicha, is married to Said, who works in Tunis for much of the year. Aicha breaks with tradition and decides to join Said in Tunis, weaving rugs to make money. Said asks that she give him a son, so Aicha lives under the rule of her mother-in-law.

Festivals & Awards:

Camera d'Or Special Mention - Cannes Film Festival 2000

Filmmaker's bio:

Moufida Tlatli was born in Tunisia in 1947. After completing her studies in Paris, she worked as a script editor and production manager for French television. Tlatli returned to Tunisia in 1972 and made a name for herself as a film editor working with renowned Arab directors. She then began making her own films. Her directorial debut, the feature film The Silences of the Palace, received numerous international film awards, including the Camera d’Or at the 1994 Cannes Film Festival. Tlatli continued both her feature filmmaking and her advocacy for the continued importance of an emerging feminist perspective within the Arab world.