18th Arab Film Festival

FREE for Students

REVOLUTIONARY TALES FROM SUDAN

Revolutionary Tales is an in-person and virtual program guest-curated by Sudanese filmmaker Rafa Renas. This series of films depicts various perspectives and revolutionary currents in Sudan’s recent history.

ABOUT THE FILMS

The Spider-man of Sudan

Dir. Rafa Renas and Phil Cox • 2022 • Sudan • Arabic • 19 min

In Sudan's capital, Khartoum, an anonymous protester dressed as Spider-Man joins hundreds of thousands of protesters desperate to protect their fragile civilian government after the military coup in October 2021. This film is directed and curated by Rafa Renas. 

Filmmaker bio:

Rafa Renas is a Sudanese producer and filmmaker. Based in Khartoum, she produces cross-media campaigns, promoting a civil society, integration, and gender issues. She also produces for international media outlets. She was a co-curator of Aflam Sudan in Keya, and she is a guest curator for the segment Revolutionary Tales at this year’s Twin Cities Arab Film Festival. 

Phil Cox is an award-winning filmmaker who directs and shoots feature documentaries and reports. His feature works have premiered at Sundance and in Berlin and Toronto. He has worked consistently in Sudan since 2003.

Women of War

Dir. Algaddal Hassan • 2022 • Sudan • Arabic • 25 min

Women of War is a short documentary that recounts the stories of several women who have lived through the trials of war in the Blue Nile region of Sudan. Between loss and the hope for life, they defy circumstances and create a positive impact on their communities. They sing for peace because they are the ones who need it most.

Filmmaker bio:

Algaddal Hassan was born in Sudan 1994. He studied creative multimedia before shifting to filmmaking. Women of War is his debut.

Journey to Kenya

Dir. Ibrahim “Snoopy” Mohamed • 2020 • Sudan, Ethiopia, Kenya • English and Arabic • 29 min

Inspired by the soul of the Sudanese revolution, a Sudanese Jujitsu team travels to Nairobi in an old van to participate in a competition. They cross three countries with no money, food, or water, driven by their revolutionary spirit and their goal to compete for the martyrs of Sudan’s 2019 revolution.

Filmmaker bio:

Ibrahim “Snoopy” Mohamed was born in Beirut to a Sudanese father and a Sri Lankan mother. Currently living in Kenya, he is a director and cinematographer whose work spans various genres, including music videos, documentaries, commercials, and short films. He worked as the cinematographer for Khartoum Offside and many other award-winning films. His films focus on unique narratives and diverse perspectives. 

Suddenly TV

Dir. Roopa Gogineni • 2022 • Sudan • Arabic • 18 min

A group of young revolutionaries create an imaginary television station at a besieged sit-in. What begins as play becomes an urgent conjuring of a new Sudan.

Filmmaker bio:

Roopa Gogineni is a photographer and filmmaker from West Virginia. For a decade she lived in Nairobi where she developed a practice rooted in co-creation, working alongside communities of resistance across the region. She directed reality television in Somalia, documented revolutionary theater in Sudan, and chronicled the journey of Mau Mau veterans suing the UK government for colonial-era abuses in Kenya. Her films have premiered at festivals including IDFA, Hot Docs, SXSW, Full Frame and Sheffield Doc/Fest. She is a member of Brown Girls Doc Mafia, Diversify Photo, Women Photograph, and The Authority Collective. 

PRESENTED BY MIZNA

Celebrating 25 years in 2024, Mizna is a critical platform for contemporary literature, film, art, and cultural production centering the work of Arab and Southwest Asian and North African artists. For more than twenty years, we have been creating a decolonized cultural space to reflect the expansiveness of our community and to foster exchange, examine ideas, and engage audiences in meaningful art.