Synopsis

Aden, Southern Yemen. Married couple Isra’a and Ahmed are in trouble. Already struggling to make ends meet for their three young children, the beleaguered parents receive some unsettling news: Isra’a is pregnant. Forced to make a difficult decision in the best interest of their family, the two decide to procure an abortion.

The Burdened patiently tracks the couple’s odyssey as they navigate the hostile bureaucracy of their conservative, wartorn surroundings. Expertly composed long takes and magnetic lead performances lend a realism to the narrative, as Isra’a and Ahmed traverse the city to bribe doctors, falsify medical records, and do everything they can to keep their family together. Based on true events, the film is a timely examination of life in modern day Yemen and a passionate rendering of one family’s fight to survive.

Synopsis

Haunted by guilt over her role in the death of a Southern man and his young son, a former singer from the North of Sudan seeks redemption by hiring the dead man’s widow as her maid — all while concealing her true identity. Their intricate connection develops amidst the turmoil of Sudan’s final days as a unified country, against a backdrop of violence and systemic racism. In this gripping feature debut — Sudan’s first feature film to be officially showcased at the Cannes Film Festival — director Mohamed Kordofani offers viewers a haunting and deeply layered exploration of guilt, redemption, and the enduring power of human bonds.