AFFFF26 The Little Sister

Fatima (Nadia Melliti), 17, is the youngest daughter of a Franco-Algerian family living in the suburbs of Paris. Surrounded by her sisters, she grows up in a warm, loving household shaped by strong traditions and Muslim faith. A gifted student, she graduates high school and enrols in a philosophy program in Paris, where she is suddenly exposed to a world far removed from everything she knows. In the capital, new encounters and ideas unsettle her certainties. Torn between her attachment to family and faith and the stirrings of a new identity, Fatima begins to question who she can be. The awakening of her attraction to women profoundly disrupts her balance, placing her between two worlds: one of belief and belonging, and another of desire, freedom, and self-discovery. On paper, everything seemed in place for yet another story of intra-family conflict. But Hafsia Herzi takes a different path. With sensitivity and intelligence, she sidesteps the expected tensions to deliver a film of rare beauty, infused with sincerity and quiet joy. Adapted from Fatima Daas’ novel, THE LITTLE SISTER was selected for the Official Competition at the 2025 Cannes Film Festival, where Nadia Melliti won the Best Actress award and the film received the Queer Palm. A pure gem not to be missed.