A rebellious young revolutionary and a runaway bride struggle for forbidden freedoms, in Amil Shivji’s stylish adaptation of Adam Shafi’s award-winning Swahili novel.

Set in 1950s colonial-era Zanzibar, Tug of War tells the story of Denge (Gudrun Columbus Mwanyika), a young political revolutionary and Yasmine (Ikhlas Gafur Vora) a young bride on the run from arranged marriage. In this forbidden relationship they are united in their commitment to the revolution for an independent Zanzibar as well as to their love for one another.

Distinguished as one of the few films ever shot on the island of Zanzibar, Tug of War offers an epic portrait of life in 1950s Zanzibar via a coming-of-age political love story set in the final years of British colonial rule.

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