The Gravediggers Wife

Guled, a gravedigger, and Nasra are a loving couple, living on the outskirts of Djibouti city with their teenage son Mahad.

Nasra is ill and needs an operation to save her life, but the cost is beyond their means. Guled considering his options wants to return to his village to claim his inheritance. Nasra fears the outcome of this journey because they were banished years before as they were from different tribes, and their marriage was forbidden.

In The Gravedigger’s Wife, Finnish Somali writer-director Khadar Ayderus Ahmed observes the long, arduous lengths love can reach to. His poetic debut is charming and wistful without ever feeling maudlin; a beautiful love letter to the power of family.

Festivals:

Toronto International Film Festival 2021

Cannes Film Festival 2021

It’s a gentle, humorous film in Africa’s quietist cinema tradition with grace notes of irony and wit.