What Will People Say

Directed by Iram Haq
Year: 2018
Country: Norway, Germany, Sweden
Language: Norwegian and Urdu with English Subtitles

Sixteen-year-old Nisha (Maria Mozhdah) lives a double life. When out with her friends, she’s a regular Norwegian teenager. At home with her family, she is the perfect Pakistani daughter. But when her father (Adil Hussain) catches her alone with her boyfriend, Nisha’s two worlds brutally collide. To set an example and escape the judgment of their peers, Nisha’s parents send her to live with extended family in a small town in Pakistan. There, in an unfamiliar country surrounded by people she barely knows, Nisha must adapt to a rigid culture that denies her the freedoms she once enjoyed. Winner of Audience Awards at AFI Fest and the Les Arcs European Film Festival, WHAT WILL PEOPLE SAY is a tense and moving drama about women’s rights, immigrant identity, and familial duties. Based on director Iram Haq’s own experiences as a young Pakistani woman in Norway, it features an astounding debut by 18-year-old Mozhdah and a nuanced performance by veteran actor Hussain (Life of Pi).

Critic’s Pick!


“Forceful and moving.”


“Essential.”


“Brims with authenticity and immediacy and benefits from a deeply sympathetic turn from sublime discovery Maria Mozhdah… [as] a character caught between cultures.”


“An act of forgiveness… offers an unbreakable heroine in Nisha. The quiet psychological terror and the simple, blunt manner in which it was shown stole my breath.”


"An assured piece of storytelling made all the more gripping by the knowledge that it is autobiographical."


"A brilliant, nuanced movie about female oppression."


“Powerful.”


“Masterful.”


Cast
Maria Mozhdah
Adil Hussain

Crew
Directed by Iram Haq