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The RAI FILM Festival will take place in Bristol, UK – 11-15 June 2025

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The Day I Will Never Forget

Directed by Kim Longinotto

2002 – 92'

Synopsis

The documentary explores the local dimensions of the female circumcision debate in Kenyan societies. In a region of Kenya that is home to Muslims, Massai and Somali and crosscut by Christian evangelists, recently passed legislation makes it illegal for a girl to be circumcised without first consenting to the procedure. The film begins with Fardhosa a nurse on a tireless campaign to open people’s eyes to the dangers of circumcision, both physical and mental. Next, Simalo, a Maasai runaway girl returns from Nairobi to confront her mother, who was responsible for her mutilation and young marriage. Finally the film shows how a group of Marakwet schoolgirls have successfully challenged their parents and centuries-old tradition in a court of law.

Consultants: Fardhose Ali Mohamed, Eunice Munanie, N’Daisi Kwinga

RAI FILM Festival 2025

The next RAI FILM Festival will take place in person from 27-30 March 2025 at the Watershed Cinema and the Arnolfini International Centre for Contemporary Arts in Bristol (UK) and online throughout the month of April 2025.