Mothers

In Morocco, unmarried women who become pregnant risk a prison sentence. They often don’t even dare to tell their families, for fear of exclusion and rejection. The Oum El Banine association in Agadir is there to support them, under the inspiring leadership of 62-year-old feminist Mahjouba Edbouche. She takes the girls and women under her wing, providing shelter, education, and legal assistance. To try and secure them a safe home, she also seeks ways for the young mothers to mend the relationships with their parents. Mothers follows Edbouche and her team, and the developments in the lives of these pregnant women, filming moments from their arrival at the association to the birth of their child, and sometimes the reunification with their family. We gradually learn to see these women’s problems, including the dilemmas of modern Morocco, through Edbouche’s eyes. (International Documentary Film Festival Amsterdam)