PROMISED SKY © ManekiFilms_HeniaProduction
Promis le ciel (Promised Sky), as seen by Erige Sehiri
Un Certain Regard 2025 opens with Promis le ciel (Promised Sky), Erige Sehiri’s third feature film. The film follows the fate of three women, a pastor, a student, and an exiled mother, whose delicate cohabitation shifts when they take in little four-year-old Kenza, rescued from a shipwreck.
Can you tell us how your film came about?
One of my main motivations was the way in which in Tunisia, individuals from Côte d’Ivoire, Nigeria, Mali or Congo are all designated as “Africans,” while forgetting that we as Tunisians are also a part of this continent. I wanted to flip this perspective and see how they perceived Tunisia. I also wanted to look at migration through a different lens. Too often, it is only being told through the prism of the grand departure to Europe. However, in reality, more than 80% of migrations take place within the African continent. I have chosen to tell this reality through women from different social classes, including all their intricacies.
What was the atmosphere like on the shoot? Have you got any stories from the set?
The thin line between reality and fiction was a constant companion on set. Real life persistently intruded on set. One day, a brutal fight between Congolese and Tunisian children erupted in the street, which became the inspiration for a scene that was included during the filming. On the other hand, certain events that had been written in the script suddenly became reality, like the arrest of a pastor that happened while were supposed to film a similar scene.
More than anything, this was a true shoot where everyone could express themselves. The main set, an active place of worship, quickly became a safe space for expression where the Ivorian community and also some team members could speak freely. These were moving and powerful moments.
What can you tell us about your actors?
I wanted a real pastor that I knew to play the role of Marie, but her position compelled her into projecting a perfect image of what she was doing. To have more freedom, I instead preferred to give this role to an actor, someone charismatic and committed. Aïssa Maïga fit this description. Her interpretation allowed me to create a modern character moved by her own faith.
What did directing this film teach you?
That having professional actors and non-professional actors interact is beneficial for everyone. And also that more than ever, I feel the need for my films to mean something to those who participate in them.
What would you like our takeaway to be?
I would like people to remember how we view these women and men, their faces, their energy. And one question remains: what will happen to this generation of survivors, these children, these orphans whose parents have risked everything to provide them with a better future? Who can be held responsible now, the country where they survived or the community they fled?