Brides

Teenage best friends Doe and Muna are heading off on what seems like the trip of a lifetime. Quiet,observant Doe hasn’t travelled since arriving in the UK as a Somali refugee aged three. Muna, sharp and fearless with Pakistani roots, leads them through airport security and into the unknown. But this isn’t a holiday. The girls are bound for Istanbul, planning to cross into Syria to begin a new life they believe holds purpose and meaning. When their fixer fails to appear, panic sets in, but turning back isn’t an option. Alone in a foreign city, they must improvise fast, pushing the limits of their courage, their faith, and their friendship.

Directed by Young Vic’s Nadia Fall in her debut feature, Brides is a bold, emotionally charged coming-of-age drama exploring the paths young British Muslim girls navigate in search of identity and belonging. Told with compassion and urgency, it’s a gripping story of loyalty, lost innocence, and the quiet desperation that drives radical choices.

"Part of what makes Brides so engaging -- and not in a passive way -- is its closeness to the truth: not just of the Begum story, but life truths." Fionnuala Halligan, Screen International