Executive produced by Angela Bassett
in association with Bassett Vance Productions
The Film
A visual testament to the power of speaking the unspeakable.
Our Daughters’ Scars is a hybrid short documentary and intimate portrait of survival.
Somali activist Shamsa Araweelo, now living in the UK, writes and reads an unsent letter to her father — a man who loved her, yet allowed unimaginable harm. Through that confrontation, she breaks years of silence, speaking with unflinching clarity about female genital mutilation, forced marriage, and the violence that shaped her childhood.
Guided by Shamsa’s voice, the film blends candid moments from her present-day life with her daughter Sarah and stylized animation that brings to life memories too painful — and too necessary — to ignore.
By illuminating a trauma still endured by millions of women and girls worldwide, Our Daughters’ Scars creates space for collective reckoning, awareness, and advocacy. In reclaiming her story, Shamsa does more than heal — she helps protect the next generation.
Private Screener
Watch the film.
The screener is password protected. Festival programmers, press, distributors, educators, and industry guests may request access below.
Angela Bassett on Our Daughters’ Scars
“Our Daughters’ Scars is a courageous and deeply necessary film. Shamsa Araweelo brings voice and humanity to a truth that too many girls and women have been forced to carry in silence for generations. When Courtney and I learned about this project, we felt a profound responsibility to help amplify it. Through Bassett Vance Productions, led by the wonderful Lynnette Ramirez, we are honored to stand behind a film that not only tells Shamsa’s story with honesty and dignity, but also invites the world to confront the trauma of female genital mutilation and commit to protecting the health, agency, and future of girls everywhere. Stories like this can open hearts, encourage dialogue, and help move us all toward lasting — and necessary — change.”
— Angela Bassett
Selected Animation Stills
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