Screening of SIRA

Hosted by WaterAid on the sidelines of Canadian Partnership for Women and Children’s Health (CanWaCH), Healthy World Conference: Dialogues on Health, Gender & Climate Resilience.

Monday, May 13th, 2024

Doors open at 5 p.m. EDT for for hors d’oeuvres and refreshments

Film Screening at 6 p.m. EDT

Omni Hotel Montreal, Pierre de Coubertin Room1050 Sherbrooke Street West, Montreal

Discussion to follow with Apolline Traore, Burkinabée writer-director of SIRA

Apolline Traoré’s, SIRA offers an unflinching look at the ongoing lawlessness and violence against women in the Sahel region of Northern Africa.

The story revolves around the figure of Sira, a young bride-to-be crossing the desert when armed extremists attack and raid their nomadic village, killing the men. Brutalized and then abandoned, Sira begins another long journey across the arid landscape to return to her community. But the path she has chosen leads her right into the assailants’ camp. Refusing to surrender to circumstances, she decides to remain near the camp, living off the land and out of sight, preparing for her moment to strike back.

SIRA was presented at the Pan-African Film and Television Festival of Ouagadougou (FESPACO) in Burkina Faso. The film was awarded a special prize by WaterAid for addressing the problem of access to water for women and girls in the Sahel, in a context marked by climate change. Traoré also became a WaterAid Ambassador on WASH and Climate change. SIRA made its North American debut at the 2023 Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF).

Click here to register!