TRUST NO ONE, TED PEDAS AWARD

Diya

ACHILLE RONAIMOU
Chad, France, Germany, Ivory Coast, 2025
96 minutes, Color

Achille Ronaimou's electrifying debut feature tells the story of Dane, a driver for a humanitarian NGO, and the whirlwind moment when he runs over a young schoolboy. Accused of killing the boy, he is forced to pay a blood debt, the payment of an unthinkable sum he doesn't have. Cleverly orchestrated, Diya puts us right at the heart of Dane's torment: repaying an impossible debt or languishing in prison far from his soon-to-be-born first child. Twisting through the roads of N'Djamena all the way to the north of Chad, Dane's desperate search to save his family and himself takes him down a dangerous path. This relentless thriller weaves an intense tale of sacrifice, morality, and impossible choices through the lens of Chadian society. Diya is a suspenseful and beautiful surprise not to be missed.—Various sources

In French with English subtitles