Khartoum

Since April 2023, Sudan has been engulfed in a devastating war between the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) and the Rapid Support Forces (RSF). International diplomacy has predominantly focused on persuading these two military actors to agree on ceasefires and humanitarian access, while largely sidelining those who are most affected by the violence: civilians. As the conflict has spread and fragmented - with foreign powers backing rival factions and armed groups multiplying - the war has produced the world’s largest humanitarian crisis, with tens of thousands killed, millions displaced, and entire regions dependent on aid.

The documentary “Khartoum”, named after the capital of Sudan, started to be filmed before the war and continued through it, even though directors and protagonists had to flee like millions of Sudanese. The documentary follows five lives in one city – a civil servant, a tea lady, a resistance committee volunteer and two street boys, all in search of freedom, have their stories unexpectedly woven together through animated dreams, street revolutions and a civil war.

“Alternating between intimate pre-war footage, re-enactments, and the stories of the protagonists’ memories and hopes, the film is an emotional roller-coaster in which hope is replaced by fear and beauty clashes with the horrors of war, racism and displacement” (CineEuropa review).

Following the screening, we will host a conversation with the producer of the documentary, Talal Afifi of Sudan Film Factory, and Dr. Ishraga Mustafa Hamid, a writer, political scientist, translator and publicist. The discussion will be moderated by Simon Ilse, Head of the Global Unit for Human Security at the Heinrich Böll Foundation.

Please note: The film will be in original language with English subtitles and the discussion will be also in English.

Tickets for the screening are free of charge.

Film Trailer