Voices and Visions of Sudan
Synopsis
This autumn, audiences across the UK will have the rare opportunity to experience a landmark season of Sudanese cinema. Voices and Visions of Sudan – A Cinematic Reflection, curated by Sudanese film curator Talal Afifi and presented by the Almas Art Foundation, Aya Films and Maona. The programme brings together films that span generations, genres and geographies to illuminate the cultural life of Sudan at a moment of historic transformation.
The programme traces the legacies of pioneering figures such as Gadalla Gubara, often described as the father of Sudanese cinema, through to urgent new works by contemporary filmmakers confronting the realities of revolution, displacement, and social upheaval. Together, these films present Sudanese cinema as a living archive: one that resists erasure, foregrounds oral memory and visual poetry, and offers alternative visions of community, identity, and futurity.
Upcoming Showings
| 30 November 2025 / Sun / 6.30pm | Sudan, Remember Us + Nyerkuk | The Birks Cinema | Book |
| 12 November 2025 / Wed | The Lighthouse |
| 3 January 2026 / Sat / Sudan, Remember Us | Towner Eastbourne | ||
| 8 January 2026 / Thu / Sudan Remember Us | Towner Eastbourne |
| 1 December 2025 / Mon | The Ultimate Picture Palace |
Featured Films
Sudan, Remember Us (Hind Meddeb, 2024, 76 mins)
A vital documentary chronicling the aftermath of Sudan’s revolution, where music, protest, and youth activism interweave into a portrait of collective hope and resilience.
Nyerkuk (Mohamed Kordofani, 2016, 19 mins)
A deeply personal short film depicting the human cost of conflict and displacement through the eyes of a child.
Cinema in Sudan: Conversations with Gadalla Gubara (Frédérique Cifuentes, 2008, 52 mins)
A tribute to the pioneering filmmaker who used cinema as a civic tool for public consciousness.
Dislocation of Amber (Hussein Shariffe, 1975, 21 mins)
A poetic meditation on ruins, silence, and identity in postcolonial Sudan.
Bougainvillea (Yasir Faiz, 2024, 17 mins)
A contemporary short exploring gender roles and shifting social dynamics in Sudan today.
Iman (Mia Bittar, 2017, 42 mins)
A sobering narrative feature following four Sudanese men and women from different backgrounds drawn into the shadowed world of radicalisation.
Curatorial vision
Afifi states 'this film program, Voices and Visions of Sudan, invites viewers to engage with Sudan as a living cultural landscape shaped by memory, struggle, and imagination. Through the lens of filmmakers - across generations and aesthetic modes - we encounter cinema as a form of social inquiry and cultural continuity'. – Talal Afifi, Curator
This programme is made possible with the support of the BFI, awarding funds from the National Lottery.
