Nadia Fall’s debut feature film “Brides” is inspired by a true story.
In 2015, a young woman named Shamima Begum, and two other teenage girls, left their homes in London to join the Islamic State and marry a state fighter in Syria. Begum was eventually stripped of her citizenship and banned from ever returning to London.
“She was painted out to be a monster in the press, so we thought what it would be like to tell the story from the point of view of the young people going through the journey,” Fall said. “Our story is completely fictionalized, although (screenwriter) Suhayla El-Bushra did loads of research around the real-life runaways.”
Fall’s film, which premieres Jan. 24 at the Egyptian Theatre and is part of the 2025 Sundance Film Festival’s World Dramatic Competition, follows best friends Doe (Ebada Hassan) and Muna (Safiyya Ingar) on a journey of uncertainty as they escape racism, culturalism, death threats and unhappy family lives in search of freedom, friendship and belonging.
“Very early on we had the idea for ‘Brides,’ partly because we both work a lot with young people and made work around the stories and lives around young people,” said Fall, who is the artistic director of Theatre Royal Stratford East. “Suhayla and I did a play at the National Theatre years back, and we really hit it off. And we were approached by a lot of people who wanted to do films, because of the project we did on stage.”
Fall, who has been working in theater for more than 20 years, said renowned casting director Shaheen Baig found Hassan and Ingar during an extensive, social-media casting call.
“Shaheen’s strength is finding authenticity in her casting,” Fall said. “We wanted the young people to be young. We wanted to really get the heritage right and accurate, in one character being South Asian (Ignar) and the other being East African (Hassan).”
Hundreds of actors and non actors answered the call, according to Fall.
“We met lots and lots of people and did workshop auditions, which really fed into the film,” she said. “And I wasn’t just auditioning with people. I like talking with young women about the story and (whether) they responded to it and if it spoke to them.”
Hassan came to the project without real acting experience, Fall said.
“Not even in a school drama club,” she said. “I had seen Safiyya in a play, and she’s also worked in film. But she’s also at the beginning of her journey as an actor.”
Fall knew the two actors needed to form a bond of trust in order for their performances to work.
“I know it’s acting, but two people have to play best friends who have this deep platonic love you have when you’re a teenager,” she said. “And to have that when you’ve only met the first day on a set, to me, is kind of nuts.”
So, thankfully through a small grant, Fall set up a little rehearsal time.
“(It was) not in theater terms where you have three or four weeks minimum, but we needed that,” she said. “We had a great script, but I also work around improvisation. So, we were able to do some improv to get deeper into the world of it, and for the girls to get to know each other. I’m glad they had some little time together before, because we went on the adventure as a gang, really.”
Throughout the process, Hassan and Ingar formed a proper friendship, according to Fall.
“Saf, without patronizing, was able to lead Ebarda and give her support and a friendship in real life,” she said.
Fall also credits lead producer Nicky Bentham, who helped El-Bushra and Fall finish the film.
“It’s a crazy thing to make a film,” Fall said. “You’re up before dawn. You’re freezing, and you have to motivate and keep the energy in focus. So we had us and a band of merry women who came with us and helped get this over the line.”
“Brides” took a while to get from script to screen, Fall said.
“We spent a long time, especially over pandemic lockdown, Zooming and talking and working dramaturgically,” she said.
Editing the film, which includes multiple flashbacks, added another layer of challenges, and Fall said the film’s editor, Fiona Desouza, “is a magician.”
“Our storytime bends and goes back and forth,” she said. “We tried so many ways to put which flashback where, and then at one point we went, ‘We make the rules. So let’s be as imaginative as possible.’ I learned so much. It’s my first feature, so every half hour, every week, I wish I could go into a time machine and go back to the beginning and put into practice what I learned along the way.”
Fall looks forward with joy and nervousness to the film’s premiere.
“I’ve not sat in a room and watched it with lots of people who didn’t work on it,” she said. “So, it’s thrilling, but also petrifying that I’m going to sit in a room at the world premiere with some people from the industry and some not, who will organically respond to the film.”
Fall is grateful that Sundance selected “Brides.”
“It’s kind of mind blowing. We spent so long, and there were so many twists and turns where I thought. ‘Is this ever going to happen?’” she said. “If it moves people, even enough to have a discussion, that is exciting. I hope many come and see it. I really want it to be seen, because it’s so personal. And I just hope to the universe and the film gods that somebody gives me a second chance to do this again.”
‘Brides’ in-person screenings
- 6 p.m., Jan. 24, Egyptian Theatre
- 8:50 p.m., Jan. 25, Megaplex Redstone 3
- 7 p.m., Jan. 27, Broadway Centre, Cinema 6 in Salt Lake City
- 4 p.m.,. Jan. 30, Holiday Village Cinemas 1
- 9:30 p.m., Feb. 2, Megaplex Redstone 4
Online
- 8 a.m. Jan. 30-11:55 p.m. Feb. 2