Release CalendarTop 250 MoviesMost Popular MoviesBrowse Movies by GenreTop Box OfficeShowtimes & TicketsMovie NewsIndia Movie Spotlight
    What's on TV & StreamingTop 250 TV ShowsMost Popular TV ShowsBrowse TV Shows by GenreTV NewsIndia TV Spotlight
    What to WatchLatest TrailersIMDb OriginalsIMDb PicksIMDb Podcasts
    OscarsBest Picture WinnersBest Picture WinnersIndependent Spirit AwardsWomen's History MonthSXSWSTARmeter AwardsAwards CentralFestival CentralAll Events
    Born TodayMost Popular CelebsMost Popular CelebsCelebrity News
    Help CenterContributor ZonePolls
For Industry Professionals
  • All
  • Titles
  • TV Episodes
  • Celebs
  • Companies
  • Keywords
  • Advanced Search
Watchlist
Sign In
Sign In
New Customer? Create account
  • Fully supported
  • English (United States)
    Partially supported
  • Français (Canada)
  • Français (France)
  • Deutsch (Deutschland)
  • हिंदी (भारत)
  • Italiano (Italia)
  • Português (Brasil)
  • Español (España)
  • Español (México)
  • Cast & crew
  • User reviews
  • Trivia
IMDbPro

Hawa

  • 20222022
  • 1h 44m
IMDb RATING
5.0/10
319
YOUR RATING
Hawa (2022)
Hawa, a young girl who lives alone with her soon-to-be-dead grandmother. When she learns that Michelle Obama is visiting Paris, Hawa has the crazy idea of being adopted by this personality, whom she admires more than anything.
Play trailer1:57
1 Video
7 Photos
ComedyDramaFamily
Hawa, a young girl who lives alone with her terminally ill grandmother. When she learns that Michelle Obama is visiting Paris, Hawa has the crazy idea of being adopted by this personality, w... Read allHawa, a young girl who lives alone with her terminally ill grandmother. When she learns that Michelle Obama is visiting Paris, Hawa has the crazy idea of being adopted by this personality, whom she admires more than anything...Hawa, a young girl who lives alone with her terminally ill grandmother. When she learns that Michelle Obama is visiting Paris, Hawa has the crazy idea of being adopted by this personality, whom she admires more than anything...
IMDb RATING
5.0/10
319
YOUR RATING
  • Director
    • Maïmouna Doucouré
  • Writers
    • Alain-Michel Blanc(screenplay)
    • Maïmouna Doucouré(screenplay)
    • Zangro(screenplay)
  • Stars
    • Sania Halifa
    • Oumou Sangaré
    • Yseult
  • Director
    • Maïmouna Doucouré
  • Writers
    • Alain-Michel Blanc(screenplay)
    • Maïmouna Doucouré(screenplay)
    • Zangro(screenplay)
  • Stars
    • Sania Halifa
    • Oumou Sangaré
    • Yseult
  • See production, box office & company info
    • 1User review
    • 8Critic reviews
  • See more at IMDbPro
    • Awards
      • 1 nomination

    Videos1

    Official Trailer
    Trailer 1:57
    Watch Official Trailer

    Photos7

    Avant Strangel as Ambassador
    Hawa (2022)
    Hawa (2022)
    Hawa (2022)
    Sania Halifa in Hawa (2022)
    Sania Halifa in Hawa (2022)

    Top cast

    Edit
    Sania Halifa
    • Hawa
    Oumou Sangaré
    • Maminata Diawara
    Yseult
    Yseult
    • Yseult
    Thomas Pesquet
    • Thomas Pesquet
    Titouan Gerbier
    • Erwan
    Jérôme Pouly
    • Jackie
    • (as Jérôme Pouly de la Comédie-Française)
    Mister V
    Mister V
    • Mister V
    • (as Yvick Letexier)
    Lola Zidi-Rénier
    • Déborah
    • (as Lola Zidi)
    Hakim Faris
    • Sam
    Meriem Serbah
    • Femme premier appartement
    Jonathan Amoule
    • Le marié
    Lucie Molangi Likote
    • La mariée
    Ismael Soumaoro
    • L'invité mariage 1
    Amlan Larcher
    • L'invitée mariage 2
    Anitha Rangadamalou
    • Mme Ravi
    Mathieu Aroquiassamy
    • M. Ravi
    Jean-Paul Boudouard
    • Le client de l'épicerie
    Najim Zeghoudi
    • Ami d'Erwan 1
    • Director
      • Maïmouna Doucouré
    • Writers
      • Alain-Michel Blanc(screenplay)
      • Maïmouna Doucouré(screenplay)
      • Zangro(screenplay)
    • All cast & crew
    • Production, box office & more at IMDbPro

    More like this

    Black Nativity
    4.8
    Black Nativity
    Chang Can Dunk
    6.4
    Chang Can Dunk
    Maman(s)
    6.1
    Maman(s)
    Guillermo del Toro's Pinocchio
    7.6
    Guillermo del Toro's Pinocchio
    Something from Tiffany's
    6.2
    Something from Tiffany's
    Slumberland
    6.7
    Slumberland
    A Morning of Farewell
    5.6
    A Morning of Farewell
    True Spirit
    6.8
    True Spirit
    The Christmas Letter
    6.4
    The Christmas Letter

    Storyline

    Edit

    Did you know

    Edit
    • Trivia
      Maimouna Doucore's second film made for a streaming service, following Cuties (2020).

    User reviews1

    Review
    Review
    Featured review
    10/10
    A not fairy-tale-like fairy-tale
    When young Hawa refuses once again to go live to a family's cousin to avoid foster care, she needs a new plan. Her grand-mother is about to die and Hawa needs a new mother to take care of her... Someone who would be the best mother in the world... And Michelle Obama is visiting Paris in a few days; Why not ask her? Desperate times mean desperate measures.

    In this fairy-tale, Hawa will meet several guides (a.k.a French celebrities) who will help her on her quest and reveal herself to her.

    Hawa is a one-of-a-kind movie where the heroin makes decision that we do not expect. Her personality as well is not a traditional one. She is not the cute, bright-eyes, candid, endearing young girl you could imagine. Hawa is a fighter, she is rough, she lacks social polish, she doesn't try to be loved, she is only bent to her one and only goal: not to be sent in foster care after her grandmother's death.

    Choosing an albino child actress to embody Hawa is a statement in itself, and Sania Halifa (Hawa) never disappoints. Whether you like her or not, she does not care, she will take on her journey and show you what it takes to become yourself.

    The movie also shows several scenes where her grandmother (the singer Oumou Sangaré) perform traditional songs from Senegal that are both poignant and highly revealing. This family is not the typical baguette-eating, Catholic, fair-skinned one you would expect. They come from overseas, the old colonies, and fight to retain their heritage while making the most of their highly diverse neighborhood.

    There are so many harrowing scenes where Hawa either misunderstand or discard other people's feelings as she is too engrossed with her own despair... But she learns, step by step. And she comes to accept that ordinary people can love an out-of-the-ordinary being like herself, and that she has a place in this wolrd of ours.

    This movie can count amongst other Christmas fairy-tales where an orphan finds a new family - whether the 'dream' family or not, whether the 'likeable' orphan or not.

    So far (dec 22), this is the best French original Amazon ever put on its platform.
    helpful•5
    11
    • juliette-loisel
    • Dec 10, 2022

    Details

    Edit
    • Release date
      • December 2022 (United States)
    • Countries of origin
      • Senegal
      • France
    • Official sites
      • Webside of the production
      • Website TIFF 2022
    • Languages
      • English
      • Bambara
      • French
    • Also known as
      • ハワ
    • Filming locations
      • France
    • Production company
      • Bien Ou Bien Productions
    • See more company credits at IMDbPro

    Technical specs

    Edit
    • Runtime
      1 hour 44 minutes
    • Color
      • Color

    Related news

    Contribute to this page

    Suggest an edit or add missing content
    Hawa (2022)
    Top Gap
    What is the Hindi language plot outline for Hawa (2022)?
    Answer
    • See more gaps
    • Learn more about contributing
    Edit page

    More to explore

    Recently viewed

    Please enable browser cookies to use this feature. Learn more.
    Get the IMDb App
    Sign in for more accessSign in for more access
    • Get the IMDb App
    • Help
    • Site Index
    • IMDbPro
    • Box Office Mojo
    • IMDb Developer
    • Press Room
    • Advertising
    • Jobs
    • Conditions of Use
    • Privacy Policy
    • Your Ads Privacy Choices
    IMDb, an Amazon company

    © 1990-2023 by IMDb.com, Inc.