Promised Sky directed by French-Tunisian filmmaker Erige Sehiri, known for Under the Fig Trees, is a deeply human drama centered on migration, solidarity, and survival in contemporary Tunisia.
The film offers a moving look at three women from sub-Saharan Africa whose lives intersect under increasingly tense social conditions.
Starring in the film are Aïssa Maiga (Marie), Debora Lobe Naney (Naney), Laetitia Ky (Jolie), Estelle Kenza Dogbo (Kenza), Foued Zaazaa (Foued), Mohamed Grayaa (Ismael), Touré Blamassi (Noa).
Promised Sky had its world premiere as the opening night selection of the Un Certain Regard section at the 2025 Cannes Film Festival and went on to screen at the Marrakech International Film Festival, where it was awarded the top prize, the Munich International Film Festival, Karlovy Vary, and the Zurich Film Festival.
It will make its U.S. theatrical premiere, opening at the Film Forum in New York on Friday, June 12, 2026.
Set in Tunisia, a community of Ivorians led by Marie, the charismatic pastor of the Church of Perseverance and a former journalist, support and protect each other in the face of increasing state racism against sub-Saharan Africans—“they’re eating cats” is the rumor that spreads—including police raids and mass arrests.
Naney is a feisty single mother who hustles to survive and to someday reunite with her daughter; Jolie is a privileged, aloof college student, presumably protected by her documented status; and four-year-old nonspeaking Kenza has just washed up on their shores, literally, having survived a shipwreck with no knowledge of her family or fellow refugees. Each has her dreams and heartbreaks to contend with; and while Marie, the eldest and wisest, sees that individualism will get them nowhere, Naney, Jolie, and Kenza must ultimately each find their own way. A chillingly resonant story for our times.
Watch the official trailer for Promised Sky above.
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