The Sacrifice
On the day before her wedding, a young woman must make an impossible choice.
The Story Behind the Film
In 2005, while interviewing survivors of honour crimes and forced marriages, I found I was recording stories that I couldn't tell, not in a documentary form. Not without endangering the lives of the young women who were placing their trust in me. In some cases, the girls would contact me later to beg me not to include this detail or that name.
The horror of what they went through, underage girls forced by their own parents into marrying much older men, did not quite get established. Also, as a documentary on limited release in one territory, the film did not have as widespread an impact as would be ideal. Hopefully, The Sacrifice is the short, sharp message that this issue needs.
It is based on the story of one teenage girl from East London, whose elder sister intervened and helped her to escape from a hellish situation. They had been forcibly married and held captive in a tiny village deep in rural Bangladesh. It was through remarkable courage and determination that they escaped. Their conviction that what had been done to them was wrong was crucial to them persevering. In The Sacrifice, Leila has help from her older sister, Rukhsana, and the support of her girlfriend, Margot.
About Forced Marriage
Let me come right out and say that this is a tremendously polarising issue, in the South Asian community most of all. Which is mystifying to me, since Forced Marriage is not unique to the cultures of South Asia but occurs across the world. From the Middle East to Africa, and yes even in North America.
A Word on Child Marriage
Bangladesh is a paradox. It has achieved more than any other developing nation to empower women (I am still impressed by Grameen Bank) and yet a woman's contribution to society means so little that she is better off married to a much older man than finishing her education or finding a job. Of course, educated Bengalis will tell you it is just as common across the border, in India, and in Pakistan. Altogether, there is a lot of finger pointing going on and not enough being done to STOP this practice.
The Cast
Ambika Mod as Rukhsana (IMDB)
Since appearing in The Sacrifice, Ambika has gone on to star as Shruti Acharya in the BAFTA-winning This Is Going to Hurt (BBC, 2022) opposite Ben Whishaw, and as Emma Morley in the acclaimed Netflix series One Day (2024).
Ruchika Jain as Leila
Alicia Simai-Kral as Margot
Jean-Philippe Boriau as the Butcher
Screenings & Film Festivals
Directors UK and ARRI present The Trinity Challenge 2020
Inaugural Screening at the VUE WESTEND, Leicester Square, London
January 23rd, 2020
Official Selection at LIFF (London Independent Film Festival) 2020
Screening: Shorts Block 6, Friday 20th March 6:00PM
The Genesis Cinema, Bethnal Green, London
Behind the Scenes
We were fortunate to have Directors UK and ARRI helping us out with documenting the behind the scenes aspect of the production. We also have the above photos from the opening night screening at the Vue Westend with the whole cast and crew.
Photos: Chris Andreou
