Al-Sit
Logline
An arranged marriage in a cotton-farming village in Sudan. Does 15-year-old Nafisa have a choice?
Synopsis
In a cotton-farming village in Sudan, 15-year-old Nafisa has a crush on Babiker, but her parents have arranged her marriage to Nadir, a young Sudanese businessman living abroad. Nafisa’s grandmother Al-Sit, the powerful village matriarch, has her own plans for Nafisa's future. But can Nafisa choose for herself?
-
Suzannah MirghaniDirectorHind's Dream, Caravan
-
Suzannah MirghaniWriterHind's Dream, Caravan
-
Suzannah MirghaniProducerHind's Dream, Caravan
-
Eiman MirghaniProducer
-
Mihad MurtadaKey Cast"Nafisa"
-
Rabiha Mohammed MahmoudKey Cast"Al-Sit"
-
Mohammed MagdiKey Cast"Nadir"
-
Haram BashirKey Cast"Nafisa's Mother"
-
Alsir MahjoubKey Cast"Bilal"
-
Khalid AwadDirector or Photography
-
Sara AwadArt Director
-
Abdelrahim KattabEditors
-
Suzannah MirghaniEditors
-
Rodney SharkeyAssociate ProducerHind's Dream
-
Julietta MirghaniAssociate ProducerHind's Dream
-
Maysaa AlmuminAssociate ProducerJ'ai Le Cafard (Bint Werdan)
-
Project Type:Short
-
Runtime:20 minutes
-
Completion Date:November 19, 2020
-
Country of Origin:Sudan
-
Country of Filming:Qatar, Sudan
-
Language:Arabic
-
Shooting Format:RED
-
Aspect Ratio:16:9
-
Film Color:Color
-
First-time Filmmaker:No
-
Student Project:No
-
Clermont-Ferrand International Short Film FestivalClermont-Ferrand
France
January 26, 2021
International Premiere
Canal+ / Cine+ Award -
Ajyal Film Festival
Qatar
November 19, 2021 -
Tampere Film Festival
Finland
March 13, 2021
Grand Prix -
Aspen Shortsfest
United States
April 6, 2021 -
Malmo Arab Film Festival
Sweden
April 10, 2021
Special Mention -
Seattle International Film Festival
United States
April 13, 2021 -
European Independent Film FestivalParis
France
April 11, 2021
Excellence in Women's Filmmaking Award -
San Francisco International Film FestivalSan Francisco
United States
April 9, 2021
California Premiere -
Busan International Short Film Festival
Korea, Republic of
April 23, 2021
Jury Award -
Toronto Arab Film Festival
Canada
May 27, 2021
Audience Award -
Huesca International Film Festival
Spain
June 9, 2021
Best Script Award -
Short Shorts Film Festival & Asia
Japan
June 11, 2021 -
Ismailia Film Festival
Egypt
June 21, 2021
Best Short Film -
Palm Springs Shortfest
United States
June 22, 2021 -
Ischia Film Festival
Italy
June 26, 2021 -
ShorTS International Film Festival
Italy
July 28, 2021 -
Maine International Film Festival
United States
July 9, 2021 -
LA Shorts
United States
July 13, 2021
Best of Fest -
Beirut Women International Film Festival
Lebanon
July 22, 2021
Best Director -
Zanzibar International Film Festival
Tanzania, United Republic of
July 22, 2021
Best Short Film -
Universo Corto
Italy
July 22, 2021
Best Short Film & Sakura Award -
Indy Shorts
United States
July 22, 2021 -
Durban Film Festival
South Africa
July 22, 2021 -
BlackStar
United States
August 6, 2021 -
La Guarimba Film Festival
Italy
August 10, 2021 -
Bronzelens Film Festival
United States
August 19, 2021
Best Short -
DC Black Film Festival
United States
August 19, 2021
Best International Film -
Sidewalk Film Festival
United States
August 23, 2021 -
Prishtina Film Festival
Kosovo
August 25, 2021 -
Columbus Black Film Festival
United States
August 28, 2021 -
Bengaluru International Short Film Festival
India
August 28, 2021 -
Odense Film Festival
Denmark
August 30, 2021 -
Encounters Film Festival
United Kingdom
September 1, 2021 -
Minikino Film Festival
Indonesia
September 3, 2021 -
Salento Film Festival
Italy
September 7, 2021 -
Elba Film Festival
Italy
September 14, 2021 -
Quibdo Africa Film Festival
Colombia
September 14, 2021
SUDU Award -
Linz Short Film Festival
Austria
September 20, 2021
Best Cinematography -
Afrika Film Festival Koln
Germany
September 18, 2021 -
Vigata Film FestivalSicily
Italy
September 4, 2021
Audience Award -
Nuuk Film FestivalNuuk
Greenland
September 19, 2021
Best Short Film -
Guanajuato International Film FestivalGuanajuato
Mexico
September 25, 2021
Special Mention -
Black Femme Supremacy
United States
September 4, 2021 -
Montreal Feminist Film Festival
Canada
September 13, 2021 -
FiatiCorti Film Festival
Italy
September 15, 2021 -
Capri Movie International Film Festival
Italy
September 17, 2021 -
Afrikana Film Festival
United States
September 17, 2021 -
FIN Atlantic Film Festival
Canada
September 18, 2021 -
Montreal International Black Film Festival
Canada
September 22, 2021
Best Narrative Short Film -
FIKE-International Short Film Fest of Evora
Portugal
September 22, 2021 -
Independent Days Film Festival
Germany
September 24, 2021 -
Trinidad and Tobago Film Festival
Trinidad and Tobago
September 25, 2021 -
HollyShorts
United States
September 25, 2021 -
Woodstock Film Festival
United States
October 1, 2021 -
Bolton International Film Festival
United Kingdom
October 1, 2021 -
Nashville Film Festival
United States
October 1, 2021 -
Jozi Film Festival
South Africa
October 1, 2021 -
Corto e Fieno
Italy
October 2, 2021 -
Mostra de Cinemas Africanos
Brazil
October 5, 2021 -
Sedicicorto Film Festival
Italy
October 5, 2021 -
Vancouver International Film Festival
Canada
October 5, 2021 -
Show Me Shorts
New Zealand
October 5, 2021 -
Festival Terra di Tutti Film
Italy
October 5, 2021 -
Tripoli Film Festival
Lebanon
October 7, 2021 -
Copenhagen Short Film Festival
Denmark
October 8, 2021 -
Portland Film Festival
United States
October 8, 2021 -
Tacoma Film Festival
United States
October 10, 2021 -
Silicon Valley African Film Festival
United States
October 9, 2021
Best Narrative Short -
Pune Short Film Festival
India
October 9, 2021 -
Mill Valley Film Festival
United States
October 10, 2021 -
International Short Film Festival Cyprus
Cyprus
October 13, 2021 -
Sharjah International Film Festival For Children & Youth
United Arab Emirates
October 13, 2021 -
CinemAfrica Film Festival
Sweden
October 15, 2021 -
St. John’s International Women’s Film Festival
Canada
October 15, 2021 -
Africa in Motion
United Kingdom
October 30, 2021
Jury Award for Best Short -
European Film Festival Zimbabwe
Zimbabwe
October 20, 2021 -
Tallgrass Film Festival
United States
October 22, 2021 -
Newport Beach Film Festival
United States
October 22, 2021 -
Washington West Film Festival
United States
October 22, 2021 -
Fano Film Festival
Italy
October 23, 2021
Best Foreign Film -
Reel Sisters of the Diaspora
United States
October 23, 2021 -
Uppsala Short Film Festival
Sweden
October 26, 2021 -
Firenze FilmCorti Festival
Italy
October 28, 2021 -
Opera Village Africa, The Future Is Africa
Germany
October 29, 2021 -
Raindance
United Kingdom
November 5, 2021 -
International Short Film Festival Canton
China
October 29, 2021 -
Front Film Festival
Serbia
October 29, 2021 -
European Film Festival Tanzania
Tanzania, United Republic of
October 30, 2021 -
Festival Cine por Mujeres Casa Árabe
Spain
October 30, 2021 -
Openscreen
Luxembourg
October 30, 2021 -
Carthage Film Festival
Tunisia
November 1, 2021 -
Arab Film Festival Arab American Museum
United States
November 1, 2021 -
New Orleans Film Festival
United States
November 13, 2021
Best Narrative Short -
AFI Fest
United States
November 14, 2021
Grand Jury Prize Best Live Action Short -
Interfilm Berlin
Germany
November 21, 2021
Best Live Action Short -
Africa International Film Festival
Nigeria
November 13, 2021
Best Short Film -
Afordite Shorts
Italy
December 3, 2021
Best International Short Film -
El Ojo Cojo
Spain
December 22, 2021
Best Short Film -
Afrykamera
Poland
December 23, 2021
Best Short Film -
Holidays 365 Film Festival
United States
December 26, 2021
Best International Narrative Short Film -
Holidays 365 Film Festival
United States
December 26, 2021
Best Cinematography -
Holidays 365 Film Festival
United States
December 26, 2021
Best Supporting Actress -
Holidays 365 Film Festival
United States
December 26, 2021
Alice Guy-Blaché Award -
Holidays 365 Film Festival
United States
December 26, 2021
Best Director -
Cairo Shorts Film Festival
Egypt
December 25, 2021
Best Short Film -
Montreal Black Film Festival
Canada
September 30, 2021
Best Narrative Short Film -
San Giò Verona Film Festival
Italy
July 25, 2021
The Fevoss Solidarity Award -
Winterfest Film Festival
United States
February 12, 2022
Best Director -
Winterfest Film Festival
February 12, 2022
Best Cinematography -
16th International Short & Independent Film Festival, Dhaka
Bangladesh
March 1, 2022
Best Fiction Film -
Nepal International Film Fest
Nepal
April 1, 2022
Bagmati Award for Best International Short Film -
Vues d’Afrique
Canada
April 9, 2022
Best International Medium-Length Film
Suzannah Mirghani is a writer, researcher, and independent filmmaker. She is a media studies and museum studies graduate. Mixed-race Sudanese and Russian, she is interested in stories about the complexity of identity. Suzannah is the writer, director, and producer of AL-SIT (2020, Sudan/Qatar), which won the Canal+ Award at Clermont-Ferrand Short Film Festival in 2021 as well as 6 Academy Award qualifying prizes at Tampere Film Festival; LA Shorts; BronzeLens; New Orleans Film Festival; AFI Fest; and Interfilm Berlin. Her latest short is the experimental documentary/social media satire VIRTUAL VOICE (2021), which premiered at Tribeca Film Festival. Suzannah is working on her first feature COTTON QUEEN, a magical realist tale set in the cotton fields of Sudan.
Everyone has their own selfish reason for why 15-year-old Nafisa’s arranged marriage should or should not happen, everyone apart from the bride-to-be. In Sudan, I met many young girls like Nafisa: teenagers living on the margins of their own lives, watching silently as others make important decisions on their behalf. Many girls do not stand up for themselves because they believe they have no option. In this film, I explore the possibility of a young girl making a statement against all odds. That is a seemingly simple statement: choosing who to love. This film gives voice to young girls like Nafisa.
Filmmaking in Sudan is finally beginning to flourish after decades of prohibition and neglect. Sudan is overflowing with talent, but there is little opportunity to show it. We made this film with a 99% Sudanese cast and crew (and 1% Lebanese). Many of the cast members (including Mihad Murtada who played Nafisa, and Mohammed Magdi who played Nadir) are first-time actors.