Mozambique / 2018 / 59mins / Documentary / Portuguese

Karen is an independent, young Muslim woman who advocates for Sharia on the diverse island of Mozambique, but is filled with doubts and contradictions about her identity and the community she lives in. Within this historical multicultural island with deeply rooted traditions, a moderate Islam has harmoniously coexisted with other religions. But Karen’s “pure Islam” doesn’t tolerate the old cultural practices and traditions. Through an intimate glimpse of Karen’s life, Between God & I, sheds light onto the humanity of young women who are making radical religious choices and its implications in a broader context of religious conflicts.

Yara Costa

Yara Costa is a journalist and director from Mozambique. After living in Angola and South Africa and working in Brazil as a reporter, she decided she wanted to tell the untold stories of Africa and help to counter the negative stereotypes that so often characterize the continent in Western media. In 2009, she received a scholarship to study news and documentary filmmaking at NYU. She made her first film, Why Are They Here? Chinese Stories in Africa, in 2011. After studying at EICTV (International Film School of San Antonio de los Baños) in Cuba, she made The Crossing, a short film about the tensions between Haiti and the Dominican Republic told through the personal story of a 16-year-old Haitian student who jumps the border daily to go to school. Between God & I is Yara’s first feature documentary. Learn More