Al-Sit is a 2021 Sudanese drama short film directed by Suzannah Mirghani and co-produced by the director herself with Eiman Mirghani for Suzannah Mirghani Films.[2][3] The film stars Mihad Murtada and Rabeha Mohammed Mahmoud with Mohammed Magdi Hassan, Haram Basher, and Alsir Majoub in supporting roles.[4][5] The film is about Nafisa, a 15-year-old young woman, who is faced by an arranged marriage in a cotton-farming village in Sudan.[6] The film qualified to enter the competition category for short films at the Academy Awards (Oscars), after winning the Grand Prix award at the Tampere International Film Festival 2021 in Finland.[7][8] It has won 23 international awards, including three Academy Award qualifying prizes in 2021.[9]
| Al-Sit | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Directed by | Suzannah Mirghani |
| Written by | Suzannah Mirghani |
| Produced by | Suzannah Mirghani Eiman Mirghani |
| Starring | Mihad Murtada Rabeha Mohammed Mahmoud Mohammed Magdi Hassan Haram Basher Alsir Majoub |
| Cinematography | Khaled Awad |
| Edited by | Abdelrahim Kattab Suzannah Mirghani |
Production companies | Suzannah Mirghani Films Doha Film Institute |
| Distributed by | MAD Solutions[1] |
Release date |
|
Running time | 20 minutes |
| Countries | Sudan Qatar |
| Language | Arabic |
Cast
edit- Mihad Murtada as Nafisa
- Rabeha Mohammed Mahmoud as Al-Sit
- Mohammed Magdi Hassan as Nadir
- Haram Basher as Nafisa's Mother
- Alsir Majoub as Bilal
- Murtada Eltayeb as Driver
- Talaat Farid as Babiker
- Fatma Farid as Faiza
- Intisar Osman as Faiza's Mother
- Abdalla Jacknoon as Babiker's Father
Production and critical reception
editThe film was shot in and around Khartoum and Aezzazh village in Sudan. It had its international premiere at Clermont-Ferrand Short Film Festival in France on 2 February 2021,[10] and then premiered on 9 April 2021 in the United States and home Premiere in the first-ever hybrid edition of the Doha Film Institute's (DFI) 8th Ajyal Film Festival.[11][12][13][14]
Receiving her award for Best Short film of the SUDU Prize at the Quibdó Africa Film Festival in Pointe-Noire, Mirhani said: "We made this film with a 99 percent Sudanese cast and crew (and 1 percent Lebanese). In fact, filmmaking in Sudan is finally beginning to flourish after decades of prohibition and neglect."[15]
Awards and accolades
editMirghani won the International Short Films Competition Award for the Best Director at the Beirut International Women Film Festival. At the Busan International Film Festival, the film won a Jury Prize in International Competition.[16] Mirghani later won the distinction of excellence in Women's Filmmaking award at the ECU European Independent Film Festival and in Women's Filmmaking for dramatic Short at The European Independent Film Festival.[12] It also received the Special Mention at the Malmö Arab Film Festival. At the Zanzibar International Film Festival, the film won the Best Short/Animation Award and ZIFF Chairman's Award.[12]
See also
editReferences
edit- ^ "Al-Sit". MAD Distribution Films. Archived from the original on 2021-10-11. Retrieved 2021-10-11.
- ^ "Interview with Suzannah Mirghani, director of Al-sit". myDylarama. Archived from the original on 2021-10-19. Retrieved 2021-10-11.
- ^ "Al-Sit". FilmFreeway. Archived from the original on 2021-10-19. Retrieved 2021-10-11.
- ^ "Al-Sit: Premium Films". premium-films.com. Archived from the original on 2021-10-11. Retrieved 2021-10-11.
- ^ "Al-Sit: African Film Festival, Inc". Archived from the original on 2021-10-11. Retrieved 2021-10-11.
- ^ "Al-Sit". siff.net. Archived from the original on 2021-10-11. Retrieved 2021-10-11.
- ^ "Women in Sudan Protest Against Gender-Based Violence and Harassment". 500 Words Magazine. Archived from the original on 2021-10-11. Retrieved 2021-10-11.
- ^ "Sudanese Short Film Al-Sit Being Nominated for the Oscar". allAfrica.com. 2021-08-16. Archived from the original on 2021-10-11. Retrieved 2021-10-11.
- ^ "Al-sit (2020)". Africa in Motion. Archived from the original on 2021-10-11. Retrieved 2021-10-11.
- ^ "Sudanese Film Al-Sit Lands its International Premiere at Clermont-Ferrand Short Film Festival in France". MAD Solutions. Archived from the original on 2021-10-11. Retrieved 2021-10-11.
- ^ "Georgetown Filmmaker Turns Research at CIRS into Art for a Global Audience". Georgetown University in Qatar. 2020-12-03. Archived from the original on 2021-10-11. Retrieved 2021-10-11.
- ^ a b c "AL-SIT (2020) - directed by Suzannah Mirghani". zenmovie (in Italian). Archived from the original on 2021-10-11. Retrieved 2021-10-11.
- ^ "Al-Sit". Doha Film Institute. Archived from the original on 2021-10-17. Retrieved 2021-10-11.
- ^ "Elba Film Festival" (in French). Elba Film Festival. Retrieved 2021-10-11.[dead link]
- ^ Omar, Eslam (2021-10-05). "Sudanese short film Al-Sit wins 23rd International Award". Ahram Online. Archived from the original on 2021-10-11. Retrieved 2021-10-11.
- ^ "Al-Sit／Short Shorts Film Festival & Asia 2021(SSFF & ASIA 2021)" (in Japanese). Short Shorts Film Festival & Asia 2021 (SSFF & ASIA 2021). Archived from the original on 2021-10-11. Retrieved 2021-10-11.
External links
edit- Al-Sit at IMDb
- Al-Sit trailer on Vimeo