Filmmaker, Zulfah Otto Sallies is intrigued by her fifteen year old daughter. Although they were both raised within the same tradition, religion and environment of the historic Bo-Kaap, the Muslim quarter in Cape Town, Muneera Sallies is part of the new generation of South Africans raised in a free society.

The subject of a film is a teenager's view of the world and, naturally, the role of the mother comes under the spotlight. When it's the filmmaker's daughter being filmed, it becomes a brave exploration – not only of the “fifteen year old who sleeps in my house”, but of how Zulfah's views and career have affected her child: “Your children and family is something that is rarely out of focus, and that is something difficult to convey to children”.

Displaying the characteristics of fifteen-year-olds across the globe, including an obsession with cellphones and alternatively embarrassed by, performing for, and indifferent to the camera, for a year we follow Muneera as she comes into her own and explores her options. We see her insecurities and excitement as she confronts drama, film, and sport with the same determinedly committed and colourful attitude. We hear her thoughts on her community, the difficulties posed by her beliefs, and her growing pride in her country. We see a mother's pride and understanding grow, and a teenager personality mature and triumph.

Through the Eyes of my Daughter is not only the gentle celebration of a child and her parents, it is also a rare insight into a family enriched by an old and colourful community that is adapting its identity to a new generation in a significantly altered country.


Berlin Forum, African, Asian & Latin American
Festival - Milan