Brick Lane + Shuffle Short Film Finalists (15)

Wrenched from the security and comfort of family life in Bangladesh, 17-year-old Nazneen enters into an arranged marriage to portly Chanu – a man old enough to be her father – who spirits her away to the concrete prison of a housing estate in London’s East End. Nazneen dutifully follows the path that life has chosen for her, bearing two daughters, and befriends rebellious neighbour Razia, who encourages the young wife to earn a little extra money for her family by sewing garments for local businessman Karim. The moment Razia meets the wheeler-dealer, something within her stirs.