바카라�Every person needs to find their own way to resist바카라� | Interview with filmmakers of 'Khartoum'

Phil: I was making another film in Khartoum in 2021 when the military coup happened. It was chaos, but there was this abandoned space next to where I was working called the Sudan Film Factory. There were a lot of young filmmakers here. Very tech-savvy, but without any of the tech. That바카라�s when I had this idea about how we could improvise.

Earlier, we were making a film which was supposed to be this cinematic poem about the city. It wasn바카라�t a particularly political film 바카라� but one that was set around political events (like the people바카라�s demonstrations against their dictatorial leaders). There was a revolution going on. There were no interviews; these filmmakers were following the lives of five civilians. And then suddenly the war broke out, and we had to use the money to get people out of the country. The filmmakers and the subjects met in Kenya 바카라� they thought we should continue with the film as an act of resistance. Since I was the creative director, it was my job to tie everything together.

I바카라�ve worked in theatre earlier, and I바카라�ve been a deep admirer of an Argentinian filmmaker called Lola Arias, who casts real people in her films and finds a way to reconstruct their own stories. The stories we wanted to tell were already within the people in our film, but the challenge was how do we get it out visually. So, we decided that the directors will first enact the anecdotes for our subjects because they바카라�d been witnesses to the war as well. And we decided to make a dollhouse using the green screen, and then create 2D animation around it. The directors were clear that they didn바카라�t want the film to be reportage. Hence, we led with dreams and magic-realism. The subjects also participated in the storytelling choices of the film, because we didn바카라�t just want them to share information with us 바카라� they shared their dreams and hopes with us.

Anas: I met the tea vendor Khadmallah at her tea-stall, I was a customer there for a long time. It바카라�s customary to visit your neighbourhood tea stall to discuss everything under the sun. She바카라�s educated and she took part in the revolution. That바카라�s how we met her.

Rawyah: When my story got accepted in the film, I couldn바카라�t find kids who could trust me and tell me about their life. We spent a few months looking for them, and I finally found Lokaine and Wilson through Anas. With the consent of both the families, we worked for about six-seven months, and then the war broke out. Then we had to all flee, and get them somewhere safe.

Timmea: I met Jaouad in the second phase of the film, in Kenya. He represents the youth of Sudan, and all the contradictions of Khartoum. He바카라�s a rasta, he바카라�s also a Sufi. He바카라�s an active member of the resistance, but he바카라�s also a deeply religious person. He바카라�s all of it. I think that바카라�s why he바카라�s such a unique character to me, and why it makes so much sense to make a film around him. Jaouad also somehow owns a chain of restaurants today, in Egypt and in Kenya. He employs many refugees 바카라� so turning his own opportunities into an opportunity for others too.

Phil: That바카라�s a good question! When Snoopy and I started, we had a pre-war Khartoum. So, we knew we had a before and an after. The middle was the war. We had no footage of the war 바카라� so that바카라�s what the middle was. We knew where it began, and where they were after the war. So, we had to be creative in the middle. Otherwise, we had verité footage of before/after the war.

Phil: I think there are two parts to an answer to this. Maybe Timmea can take the second part. But, I think, there might be some media fatigue with respect to how many conflicts they can show in a news show these days.

Timmea: How have we learned about Detroit, Mumbai, Delhi? McDonalds, fast food etc? We바카라�ve learned it through cinema. Even my English comes from movies, not from reading books. We weren바카라�t even aware 바카라� it was just feeding us this information, about cultures, about language. And I think with this film, we wanted to do the same about Sudanese culture 바카라� how do we dress, how do we dance, what do we like to eat etc. It바카라�s our effort to educate the world about Sudan.

Phil: I thought this was a tremendous World cinema project for me, especially considering how the filmmakers were determined to tell their story in an unusual manner. It might as well fall from a cliff, but it would be an exciting opportunity nonetheless. I think, as an artist, if you바카라�re certain about what you don바카라�t want 바카라� it바카라�s a start. We knew we didn바카라�t want to make a film that said 바카라� here바카라�s Africa in crisis. We didn바카라�t have bosses sitting on our heads because we raised very little money to make the film, and it actually freed us in ways more than we바카라�d imagined. No one was telling us what we couldn바카라�t do in the film.

Snoopy: We바카라�re fortunate to be outside of Sudan right now, allowing us to continue to create resistance art. We might not be forced to do it, but we바카라�re ambassadors in a way for our nation. We kinda바카라� see it as our responsibility to tell the world about what바카라�s going on in Sudan 바카라� a lot of people back home are depending on our film reaching as wide as possible. Whether it바카라�s Geneva, Berlin or any major film festival in the world, we바카라�ve got to make their voices heard as far as possible. This responsibility becomes the motivation we need to keep going.

Phil: These four young Sudanese filmmakers on a global stage is a really positive story. Especially when everything related to Sudan is coloured in death and disaster. Since, they바카라�re travelling around and meeting policymakers 바카라� it바카라�s a story of initiative, not just of victim(hood).

Anas: And we also wanted to make sure that this film represented the citizens of Sudan. It바카라�s not trying to be partisan about which political leader is good or bad, but just mirroring the confusion of the general public with them.

Rawyah: First of all, the coverage of Sudan바카라�s civil war is not enough. There바카라�s so much coverage of Ukraine, Gaza, but nearly nothing on Sudan. This film was our only chance at telling our story. Also, for other filmmakers around us, we wanted to showcase our own hopes, resilience, challenges through these films.

Timmea: I think the numbers are for everyone to just Google. We have more than 12 million people displaced. We have famine, human rights violations바카라� the whole package basically. It바카라�s very easy to have given in to the emotional fatigue around such stories, because of just how widespread it is. It바카라�s like news바카라� news바카라� news바카라� nobody cares. What we really wanted to do with this film 바카라� is make ourselves relatable as a culture for the outside world. Maybe, then they can start seeing Sudan in a different light.

Phil: It was certainly not an accident. There are layers to the film, especially if you바카라�re from Sudan. The tapestries of Sudanese culture are just so varied. It바카라�s like filming something in Kolkata, and only talking about how there바카라�s abject poverty over there. Every street in a city has its own story to tell 바카라� its own music, its own culture. Khartoum is such a deeply heterogeneous culture featuring all of Sudanese culture 바카라� what바카라�s the Indian equivalent? Mumbai? So, we knew the film would not be just about a crisis, war. Lives were being lived before the hostility began.

Phil: It kinda바카라� depends on the benchmark you바카라�re setting for a film. I think this one genuinely inspires. It reminds us that as hard as things can be, people can still be courageous and wonderful. If the coverage is only despair, this film challenges that notion. Sure, the circumstances are dire 바카라� but these people are strong, they바카라�re warm and they바카라�re like you and me. Whether I watch this film in Britain, France or India.

Now, does a film really have to change the world? Not really. Sometimes every person needs to find their own way to resist or fight back. For filmmakers like us, this is our only way to react to the world. If we don바카라�t agree with Modi, maybe we can help our neighbourhood Muslim gardener. Small acts can make a huge difference, we tend to often underestimate them. Films might not always change policy, but it can have an effect. Since this is the only film to come out of Sudan, I think it will be seen by many important politicians, diplomats and policymakers. I바카라�m hoping something comes out of this.

In Britain, films have brought about change. Ken Loach, Bertolt Brecht in Germany, their work has had a significant impact on our lives.

Snoopy: The change has already happened in our lives, our subjects. The kids, filmed by Rawyah, are now going to school in Kenya. She바카라�s their local guardian too. So, we바카라�re really tightly knit with our subjects. They were polishing shoes of the soldiers in Sudan, and I think if not for this film they might probably be dead by now. Khadmallah, Jaouad 바카라� they all employ refugees.

Phil: As much as we wanted to make a cinematic film about Sudanese culture, each and every one of us is engaged with our respective subjects. We바카라�re almost like a family now. It바카라�s not just about creating art, but also about engaging with the grassroot realities.