Erige Sehiri’s PROMISED SKY selected for 78th Cannes Film Festival

PROMISED SKY, the next cinematic creation of acclaimed French Tunisian director Erige Sehiri, is set to make its world premiere at the prestigious 78th Cannes Film Festival (May 13th to the 24th) in the Un Certain Regard section.

The film is inspired by real events that unfolded in Tunisia, where sub-Saharan migrants were violently targeted in the media and on the streets. Stirred by inflammatory political rhetoric, a wave of hostility led to arbitrary arrests and expulsions.

Set against this turbulent backdrop, the film explores — through a quiet yet powerful lens — the tension and solidarity that emerge in times of crisis. “What interests me most is moving beyond the migrant archetype by creating characters who feel real, complex, unexpected, and capable of challenging the audience,” says director Erige Sehiri.

PROMISED SKY follows Marie, an Ivorian pastor and former journalist who lives in Tunis. Her home becomes a refuge for Naney, a young mother seeking a better future, and Jolie, a strong-willed student carrying her family’s hopes. The arrival of a little orphan girl challenges their sense of solidarity in a tense social climate, revealing both their fragility and strength.

Starring Aïssa Maïga, Laetitia Ky, Deborah Naney, and Tunisian actor Mohamed Grayaa, PROMISED SKY is directed and co-produced by Erige Sehiri, produced by Didar Domehri, lensed by Frida Marzouk, who has worked with Sehiri before on UNDER THE FIG TREES and was involved in all the JOHN WICK movies. It is also distributed in the Arab World by MAD Distribution.

Erige Sehiri is a French Tunisian director, producer, and former journalist whose work blends documentary realism with narrative cinema. She began her filmmaking career in documentary, directing the critically acclaimed RAILWAY MEN, which highlighted the daily struggles of Tunisian railway workers.

In 2022, she wrote, directed, and produced her debut feature, UNDER THE FIG TREES, an intimate exploration 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 chosen to represent Tunisia at the 95th Academy Awards. Since then, it has been showcased at major international festivals and released in over twenty countries.

In addition to her film career, Sehiri is a passionate advocate for freedom of expression and media literacy. She co-founded the media outlet INKYFADA and the Tunisian NGO Al KHATT. She is also a founding member of Rawiyat–Sisters in Film, a collective dedicated to supporting women filmmakers throughout the Arab World and its diaspora.

Her second feature, PROMISED SKY, is set to premiere at the Cannes Film Festival in the Un Certain Regard.