Insumisas: Rebellious Women

We’re delighted to announce the launch of Sandblast’s Film Club, a new monthly initiative dedicated to exploring stories from and about Western Sahara through the power of film.

Each month, we’ll feature a film that spotlights Saharawi voices, stories, and struggles, aiming to deepen our collective understanding and spur dialogue within our community.

Our first feature is ‘Insumisas’ - a compelling 26 minute documentary highlighting the strength and determination of Saharawi women defending human rights.

Insumisas, translated to Unsubmissive women, is a film documenting the unique struggles of women in Western Sahara. This documentary explores the work of Sahrawi women human rights defenders in recording and denouncing the violence suffered by women in the territories of Western Sahara occupied by Morocco.

Faced with the brutality of these violations and the cruelty of the methods used, the film portrays the strength and tenacity of Sahrawi women in their historic struggle against injustice and oblivion. Co-directed by Brazilian Laura Dauden and Colombian Miguel Ángel Herrera, the documentary Unsubmissive Women was produced by the Hegoa Institute and Forward Films with funding from Euskal Fondoa.

Why We Love the Film:

Saharawi women have always enjoyed freedom and independence in their communities.

Many of the large tasks of rebuilding life and community upon their displacement to the camps were organised in the spirit of Twiza, the expression of the communal spirit and belief in the coming together of many hands to lighten the burden.

Over the past decades, and with indomitable spirits, creative minds, and resourcefulness, Saharawis have managed to lay the foundations of a state-in-exile. This achievement of spirit, will, and perseverance has been made possible by generations of Saharawi Women.

Insumisas is a film that captures the determination and the sense of self, spirit, and community that represent Saharawi Women in the context of their lives today in exile.