The Gravedigger’s Wife
Description
Deeply committed in their relationship, Guled is the titular digger who seeks work daily while his wife, Nasra, cares for their son, Mahan, though she is hobbled by chronic kidney disease. An operation offers a likely chance for a cure, but with the procedure’s cost well outside of the family’s reach, Guled takes to the road to ask extended family members for financial help. The film crosscuts between his journey and Nasra’s life at home, as husband and wife each tell friends and strangers the story of how they met and fell in love. Filmed with subtlety and grace and an O. Henry-like sense of irony, the film is a humanistic plea for society to aid its neediest members.
PRESENTED IN PARTNERSHIP WITH
Born in Somalia and now based in Finland, Khadar Ayderus Ahmed is a writer and director whose short films include We Don’t Celebrate Christmas (2014), The Night Thief (2017), and The Killing of Cahceravaga (2019). His screenplays include Citizens (2008), a short, and Unexpected Journey (2017), a feature. The Gravedigger’s Wife (2021), his feature directing debut and Somalia’s first-ever Oscar® submission, won the Amplify Voices Award at the Toronto International Film Festival and five African Movie Academy Awards, including Best Film.
Trailer
Film Details
Language Somali, English
Year 2021
Premiere California
Runtime 83
Country Finland, Germany, France
Director Khadar Ayderus Ahmed
Executive Producer Misha Jaari, Mark Lwoff, Risto Nikkil
Producer Bufo, Twenty Twenty Vision, Pyramide Production
Writer Khadar Ayderus Ahmed
Editor Sebastian Thümler
Cinematographer Arttu Peltomaa
Music Andre Matthias
Cast Yasmin Warsame, Omar Abdi, Khadar Abdoul-Aziz Ibrahim
Print Source Orange Studioaudrey.verrecchia@orange.com
Closed Captions Closed captions are not available for this screening.
Audio Description Audio description is not available for this screening.
American Sign Language (ASL) Interpretation American Sign Language (ASL) interpretation is not currently scheduled for this event. For more information about ASL interpretation at our events, e-mail ADA@SFFilm.org.