NEW YORK, NY.- Film Forum will present the U.S. theatrical premiere of Erige Sehiri’s PROMISED SKY on Friday, June 12.

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.

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.

Erige Sehiri is a French-Tunisian director, producer, and former journalist whose work bridges documentary realism and narrative cinema. In 2022, she wrote, directed, and produced her first feature, UNDER THE FIG TREES, an intimate portrait of youth, labor, and fleeting moments of connection set in a rural fig orchard. The film premiered at the 54th Directors’ Fortnight at the Cannes Film Festival and was selected to represent Tunisia at the 2023 Academy Awards.

“Deeply human... visually and texturally truthful thanks to Sehiri’s authentic point of view and cinematographer Frida Marzouk’s poetic lens... packs a punch when Sehiri underscores just how deeply rooted (and similar-sounding) anti-migrant sentiments are around the world.” – Tomris Laffly, Variety 

“Casts a warm glow... a bittersweet celebration of endurance and sacrifice with notable newcomer Debora Lobe Naney giving a winning performance as a vibrant spirit, determined to survive everything that life throws at her.” – Allan Hunter, Screen International

“A well-observed film… The leads all make their characters vivid and real, and Sehiri directs with a refreshing absence of the melodramatics that a simple summary—three women and their orphan girl—would suggest.” – Ben Kenigsberg, RogerEbert.com