In Theaters 06.12.2026 or Watch at Home 08.14.2026

Promised Sky

Directed by Erige Sehiri
Film Movement
2025
95 Minutes
France, Tunisia, Qatar
French, Arabic
Drama
Not Rated
Film Movement

An Ivorian pastor and former journalist, Marie, opens her home in Tunisia to three generations of migrant women: Naney, Jolie, and Kenza. A mother desperate to obtain residency status in Tunisia, Naney seeks a better life for herself and her daughter. Jolie, in Tunisia on a student visa, feels burdened by her family’s expectations for her future. Kenza, an orphaned child and the only survivor of a shipwreck carrying refugees to Tunisia, is lost and in need of a mother. Marie struggles with her role as a spiritual leader while assuming the role of Kenza’s caregiver and supporting Naney and Jolie. As the four women grow closer in this makeshift family, they must grapple with poverty, conflict, and alienation.

Erige Sehiri’s Promised Sky is a “bittersweet celebration of endurance and sacrifice” (Screen Daily), demonstrating the importance of resilience, friendship and human connection in the face of global tensions surrounding migration and refugee crises worldwide.

Director & Cast

  • Director: Erige Sehiri
  • Starring: Aïssa Maiga
  • Starring: Debora Lobe Naney
  • Starring: Laetitia Ky
  • Starring: Estelle Kenza Dogbo
  • Starring: Foued Zaazaa
  • Starring: Mohamed Grayaa
  • Starring: Touré Blamassi

Trailer

Film Movement

Photos

Reviews

  • "[A] bittersweet celebration of endurance and sacrifice with notable newcomer Debora Lobe Naney giving a winning performance as a vibrant spirit, determined to survive everything that life throws at her."
    Allan Hunter, Screen Daily
  • "The leads all make their characters vivid and real, and Sehiri directs with a refreshing absence of the melodramatics that a simple summary—three women and their orphan girl—would suggest."
    Ben Kenigsberg, RogerEbert.com
  • "The film... shines through Naney’s aching performance...."
    Tomris Laffly, Variety
  • "[A] simple observational drama..."
    Bobby LePire, Film Threat
  • "PROMISED SKY is a surprisingly light, accessible, optimistic film, sourcing hope from despair, and never artificially so...full of beautiful, perceptive work that makes for a rewarding watch."
    Padaí Ó Maolchalann, In Review
  • "Erige Sehiri wins viewers over with an incredibly human film. Wonderfully paced and endowed with an incredibly fluid sense of movement and varied décor...."
    Fabien Lemercier, Cineuropa
  • "Profoundly human and deeply caring."
    Selina Sondermann, The Upcoming
  • "Sehiri understands the power of the camera to capture the soul of a person in their visage, especially in such emotionally and politically turbulent times."
    Clint Worthington, RogerEbert.com
  • "Erige Sehiri offers an intimate view from the diverse perspectives of those caught in the mess of systemic prejudice, and how difficult it can be to play fair when the deck is stacked against you."
    Kent M. Wilhelm, The Film Stage ·
  • "This heart-wrenching drama about a makeshift family trying to stay afloat is buoyed by vulnerable performances and some spectacular imagery."
    Anzhe Zhang, Slant Magazine
  • "[A] sense of community solidarity and immigrant resilience weaves through the fabric of Sehiri’s quiet, observational drama, which tells the story of a tight-knit group of Black immigrant women trying to survive and make ends meet amid Tunisia’s unwelcoming immigration environment"
    Clint Worthington, RogerEbert.com
  • "[A] meaningful story full of humanity and perseverance."
    Brittany Patrice Witherspoon, Pop Culture Reviews

Now Playing

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Film Forum New York NY June 12, 2026
SBIFF Film Center Santa Barbara CA June 19, 2026
Laemmle Monica 4 Santa Monica CA June 19, 2026
Community Theater Catskill NY June 19, 2026
Avalon Theatre Washington DC June 25, 2026
Cinema du Parc Montreal QC June 26, 2026
Partizanfilm Burlington VT June 26, 2026
Cleveland Cinematheque Cleveland OH July 10, 2026