What Will People Say

Sixteen-year-old Nisha (Maria Mozhdah) lives a double life. When out with her friends, she’s a regular Norwegian teenager. At home with her family, she is the perfect Pakistani daughter. But when her father (Adil Hussain) catches her alone with her boyfriend, Nisha’s two worlds brutally collide. To set an example and escape the judgment of their peers, Nisha’s parents send her to live with extended family in a small town in Pakistan. There, in an unfamiliar country surrounded by people she barely knows, Nisha must adapt to a rigid culture that denies her the freedoms she once enjoyed. Winner of Audience Awards at AFI Fest and the Les Arcs European Film Festival, What Will People Say is a tense and moving drama about women’s rights, immigrant identity, and familial duties. Based on director Iram Haq’s own experiences as a young Pakistani woman in Norway, it features an astounding debut by 18-year-old Mozhdah and a nuanced performance by veteran actor Hussain (Life of Pi).