Our Locked Door (1992)

Adapted from Michael Lazar Issa’s story of the same name (ܗܘ ܬܪܥܢ ܚܠܝܩܐ – Aw Tar’an Khleeqa), the film tells the tragic story of Ester and Eshay, a young couple who elope only for Ester to become the victim of an honour killing. The film is an elegy on the Assyrian homeland, shaped by repeated genocide, intergenerational trauma and displacement. It captures the beauty of tradition and ritual, without shying from a critique of the patriarchal values embedded in the culture. Our Locked Door also highlights the tenacity of the Assyrian diaspora, being made on a small budget and relying on the goodwill of the communities in Australia and Armenia where it was filmed.