Thirteen-year-old Leila lives with her younger sister Sara and their father in a small town. Driven by greed and poverty, the father arranges for Leila to marry an older man. As the wedding day nears, Leila has a disturbing flashback of her father murdering her mother. Leila’s aunt and grandmother successfully conspire to rescue her from the forced marriage, but the father insists on replacing Leila with Sara, age eleven. Determined to break the cycle of abuse, the grandmother unites women in the community to stop the wedding ceremony.

The Doll That Didn’t Die  is inspired by the tragic deaths of Romina Ashrafi and Mona Heydari, two young Iranian women who were victims of child marriage and honor killings. This film highlights the discrimination and violence that vulnerable women face in some regions. Nilgoon Ashakri dedicates the film to voiceless women enduring violence and to those who advocate for them.