‘Cotton Queen’ Offers Rare Glimpse into sudanese Life, Forged Amid Displacement
Doha, Qatar – Suzannah Mirghani‘s feature film, Cotton Queen, is garnering attention at the Ajyal Film Festival in Doha as a vital and exceptionally rare work of Sudanese cinema.The film, a multinational co-production, offers a nuanced portrayal of Sudanese culture and the experiences of women, especially poignant given the ongoing conflict and displacement impacting the nation.
Mirghani, reflecting on the film’s creation, notes the profound impact the recent events in Sudan had on the cast and crew, many of whom were personally affected.The filmmaking process itself became a source of stability and community for those displaced by the crisis. “They wanted the film to bring them together,” Mirghani observed, highlighting Sudan’s deeply communal nature and the sense of belonging fostered on set. The production even constructed a Sudanese village in Egypt, so convincingly realized that cast and crew experienced disorientation stepping outside, momentarily forgetting they were no longer in Sudan.
The film’s production was a complex undertaking, shepherded by producers Caroline Daube and Didar Domehri with support from Strange Bird, Maneki Films, and philistine Films. The wide co-production network also included ZDF/Das Kleine Fernsehspiel, ARTE, Film Clinic, MAD Solutions, JIPPIE Film, and the Red Sea Fund.
Cotton Queen deeply integrates Sudanese artistic traditions. The film opens with a rendition of aghani albanat, “girls’ songs” traditionally performed in women-only spaces, described by Mirghani as “very cheeky” and a space for free expression. The score, composed by Tunisian-french musician Amine Bouhafa, incorporates conventional Sudanese instrumentation like the oud and tambour, and features a modern interpretation of a traditional song by Brooklyn-based Sudanese singer Alsarah. Mirghani herself penned the poems recited by the film’s protagonist, Nafisa, recognizing them as a distinct artistic form.
Mirghani emphasizes the scarcity of Sudanese fiction films, estimating that fewer than ten have been made by Sudanese filmmakers. She hopes the spotlight provided by festivals like Ajyal, and DFF’s broader Sudanese program, will encourage greater portrayal and diverse perspectives within the nation’s cinema. Many members of the film’s Sudanese cast and crew, currently scattered across Egypt, are being brought to Doha to experience a collective screening of Cotton Queen for the first time.
Looking ahead,Mirghani’s primary hope is that the film will serve as a point of connection for Sudanese communities worldwide,particularly those in the diaspora and refugee contexts. International sales are being handled by Totem Films, with a focus on reaching these audiences. “Right now, we don’t have a country. Right now, the country is destroyed.So to be connected through this film would be my greatest measure of success,” she stated.