Kim Longinotto and Florence Ayisi's documentary focuses on a town in Cameroon where a judge and lawyer, both female, have gradually been able to make a difference. The film follows three cases: a little girl who has been physically abused by her aunt; a teenage girl who was raped by a neighbor; and a woman who brings divorce proceedings against her violently abusive husband. The divorce case is particularly important since it's the first time in this Muslim community that a wife who brought charges against her husband has had the courage to go through the court process to the end. The sense of joy and liberation that her female neighbors and relatives feel is palpable. The filmmakers secured excellent access, going behind the scenes in the lawyer's and judge's offices and also getting inside the local jail. A Women Make Movies release, SISTERS IN LAW is intimate, intelligent, and in many ways, unexpected. (Amy Taubin)

2005 Cannes Film Festival: WINNER C.I.C.A.E. Award

Directors: Kim Longinotto, Florence Ayisi
Producer/Director of Photography: Kim Longinotto

Kim Longinotto 's accolades include the Amnesty International DOEN Award at IDFA and Best Doc UK Spotlight at Hot Docs for THE DAY I WILL NEVER FORGET; the Grand Prize for Best Documentary San Francisco International Film Festival and Silver Hugo Award at the Chicago International Film Festival for DIVORCE IRANIAN STYLE; Best Documentary at Films de Femmes, Creteil for DREAM GIRLS; and Outstanding Documentary at the SF Gay and Lesbian Film Festival for SHINJUKU BOYS.

Florence Ayisi studied producing and directing at the Northern School of Film and Television (NSTV) in Leeds, England. She co-directed the documentary REFLECTIONS, about a black British dancer-choreographer in Cardiff in 2003. She has just completed a short film, MY MOTHER: ISANGE to mark International Women's Day 2005. She teaches practice-based research at the International Film School Wales, University of Wales, Newport.