British documentary-maker Kim Longinotto's film Sisters in Law, which deals with rape and divorce in Cameroon, screens in the Directors' Fortnight tomorrow. Here she explains its genesis:

There's a scene in Sisters in Law that always makes me laugh in an embarrassed way. Amina, a Muslim woman in Cameroon, is trying to divorce her husband. The [woman] judge says to her: "All men are brutal." You think at that moment that the world is two halves - men versus women - and we're in the women's half. Amina is actually doing something no one in Cameroon has ever done before: suing her husband for divorce. She's going against everyone; all her family are telling her to stop. She's fighting for her life, as she sees it. In that situation, I suspect she really appreciates having us in the courtroom alongside her.

Our other main character, Sonita, is standing up for herself too. She's a nine-year-old girl who is testifying that her neighbour raped her. It's a very brave thing for a little girl to do, especially as the accused was trying to intimidate her while she was giving evidence. I admired the way the judge and prosecutor - both women - dealt with the situation. They made it very unthreatening for her, helping her to speak out. They are judges and prosecutors, but are also very female about it. I kept thinking of Victoria Climbié - I wish somebody had talked to her the way those two women did.

We finished making Sisters in Law a few months ago, and it was originally supposed to be shown on TV in March. But Peter Dale, our commissioning editor, wanted to hold it back and that gave us a chance for Cannes. For me, it's exciting when a film is in a cinema. It's so different seeing it on the big screen. I've always loved the idea of people watching it together. It was always our dream to have [my 1998 film] Divorce Iranian Style shown in the local cinema of the woman concerned. Cinemas are the one place in Iran where men and women can sit together. But it hasn't happened yet.