France
Hakim, (Roschdy Zem) and wife Latifa (Darida Al Joundi) fled the early 90s Algerian civil war and made a new life with their two daughters in the Jura region. Nedjma is a precocious 14; older sister Leïla left home for Paris to study hairdressing. Three days before Christmas Nedjma receives a text from her sister cancelling her trip home because of a heavy workload. Hakim and Nedjma decide to travel to the daunting metropolis and fetch Leïla home for the holidays. On arrival in Paris they discover Leïla never worked at the upscale salon that she claimed...
First-time director / co-screenwriter Naidra Ayadi brings us a riveting dusk-to-dawn search in the underbelly of Paris for Leïla’s whereabouts...