Mahamat Saleh Haroun’s Lingui, The Sacred Bonds has been selected as Chad’s Official Submission for Best International Feature Film for the 94th Academy Awards®. The film received its World Premiere at the 2021 Cannes Film Festival and its North American Premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival. Lingui, The Sacred Bonds also screened at the Mill Valley Film Festival and it will receive its New York premiere at MoMA’s The Contenders. The film opens February 4, 2022 in the US. This is the third time that Haroun has represented Chad at the Oscars, following his prior films Abouna and Grigris.

On the outskirts of N’djamena, the capital of Chad, fiercely determined single mother Amina (Achouackh Abakar Souleyman) works tirelessly to provide for herself and Maria, her 15-year-old daughter (Rihane Khalil Alio). Suddenly, Amina’s fragile existence collapses: she learns Maria is pregnant, and has been kicked out of her Islamic girls’ school. Maria does not want this pregnancy, but abortion in Chad is condemned both by religion and law. Abandoned by her own family years before for her pregnancy with Maria, Amina is determined to offer a different fate for her child. As mother and daughter fight to procure a simple procedure made inaccessible by their patriarchal government, they must navigate a treacherous network of male doctors, relatives, and neighbors, forging a connection stronger than any they’ve ever known before.

Watch the trailer for Lingui, The Sacred Bonds