Welsh producers Alice Lusher and Catryn Ramasut from ieie Productions spoke with Wales-Somaliland Link community leader Ali Abdi and host Zaynab Ahmed about their new co-production Brides.
The panel discussed how they brought Nadia Fall's debut feature to Wales, the importance of Wales' Somaliland community being seen on screen, and how unique it was to be part of Brides' all-female production team.
We also commissioned Swansea-based Syrian writer and researcher Hadeel Alfaraj to write a piece about the film, as well as her own experience of leaving Syria and finding a new home in Wales.
Coming to cinemas on 26 September 2025, Brides is a coming-of-age story about two teenage girls in search of freedom, friendship and belonging, who run away from their lives in the UK with a dangerous plan to travel to Syria. It was partly filmed on location in Cardiff, Barry, Ogmore, Southerndown and Porthcawl.
Brides was supported by the BFI and Ffilm Cymru Wales, both awarding National Lottery funding, and Welsh Government via Creative Wales.
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'Made in Wales' is a Film Hub Wales project, celebrating films with Welsh connections. It is supported by funding from Creative Wales and National Lottery funding via the BFI.