Private Project

My Sister, Sara

In late 2018 and throughout 2019, Sudan experienced months of protests that ultimately overthrew a 30-year dictatorship. Sara Elhassan was among the young grassroots activists who kept the world informed and connected during this time through social media, helping to mobilize global support for the cause of the Sudanese people. In “My Sister, Sara”, Elhassan and her older brother Amin, an ESPN sports analyst and TV personality, engage in a candid dialogue on survivor’s guilt, youth movements, and the role of women in the Sudanese revolution.

  • Sarra Idris
    Director
  • Amin Elhassan
    Director
  • Sarra Idris
    Writer
  • Amin Elhassan
    Writer
  • Selma Idris
    Writer
  • Ahmed Hamad
    Writer
  • Selma Idris
    Producer
  • Ahmed Hamad
    Producer
  • Sarra Idris
    Producer
  • Amin Elhassan
    Producer
  • Sara Elhassan
    Key Cast
  • Amin Elhassan
    Key Cast
  • Awad Elhassan
    Key Cast
  • Project Type:
    Documentary, Short
  • Genres:
    drama, political, social, documentary, short
  • Runtime:
    29 minutes 52 seconds
  • Completion Date:
    November 23, 2020
  • Production Budget:
    1,200 USD
  • Country of Origin:
    United States
  • Country of Filming:
    United States
  • Language:
    Arabic, English
  • Shooting Format:
    RED, Instagram posts
  • Aspect Ratio:
    16:9
  • Film Color:
    Color
  • First-time Filmmaker:
    No
  • Student Project:
    No
  • Digital Cinema Package:
    Unavailable
  • The New York African Film Festival
    New York, New York
    United States
    December 2, 2020
    World Premiere
Director Biography - Sarra Idris, Amin Elhassan

Sarra Idris is a Sudanese director, editor and visual artist based in New York. She is partner and co-founder of Golden Tusk Labs, a creative development company devoted to telling great stories from unexplored perspectives.
As an editor, Sarra has over 15 years of experience in various projects across TV, commercials, web series, short film, and music videos. Companies include NBC Universal (Saturday Night Live), PSYOP, Google Creative Lab, MPC, Twitter, Pentagram, and BBC America.

As a director, Sarra's short films have been screened at the Diversity in Cannes Short Film Showcase, New York African Film Festival, Cinetopia Film Festival at the Smithsonian Arab American National Museum (AANM) and The ICA London.
Outside of her professional ventures, Sarra is committed to promoting cross cultural understanding for underrepresented voices. She worked and taught in Sudan (in both Kosti and Khartoum) as part of The Cultural Healing Program and as an Artist in Residence at the Rashid Diab Arts Centre in Khartoum.

Amin Elhassan joined ESPN in 2012 as an NBA analyst and commentator after working a decade in the NBA with the Atlanta Hawks, New York Knicks and most recently, the Phoenix Suns, where he worked alongside basketball legends like Steve Kerr, Shaquille O’Neal, Grant Hill, Steve Nash and Isiah Thomas. He can be seen regularly on ESPN’s Emmy nominated daily NBA show, The Jump, as an analyst and host. Additionally, Amin is a frequent contributor to other ESPN shows such as Highly Questionable, The Dan Le Batard Show with Stugotz, and Jalen & Jacoby.

Amin is also a cohost on SiriusXM NBA radio and hosts Cinephobe on SiriusXM Mad Dog Sports Radio, a show devoted to reviewing terrible movies.
In 2018, Amin helped launch the Count the Dings podcast network, which then sold its basketball content to The Athletic in 2019.

Add Director Biography
Director Statement

“My Sister, Sara” is a short film centered around an honest and informative conversation about the Sudanese Revolution between grassroots activist and writer, Sara Elhassan, and her older brother, ESPN Sports Analyst and TV personality, Amin. On December19, 2018, the Sudanese people took to the streets demanding the removal of dictator, Omar al-Bashir, and his 30-year regime of terror. Their peaceful protests garnered the world’s attention and proved powerful, culminating in a coup d'état on April 11, 2019.

Bashir was replaced by a military junta comprised of the Transitional MilitaryCouncil (TMC) and their paramilitary, the rebranded Janjaweed, responsible for executing Bashir’s genocide in Darfur. The sit-ins continued as plans of a civilian-led government were promised. No one could have imagined the terror that would come. On June 3,2019, under the leadership of warlord and commander, Hemedti, the RSF unleashed an attack on the sit-ins, killing and reports of sexual violence against men, women and children and throwing many of their bodies into the Nile River, making it impossible to count the true number of victims.   

With internet access blocked, phone lines down and no media coverage, many in the diaspora were left feeling helpless. Sara Elhassan was among a small group of Sudanese activists who used their Twitter and IG accounts to report and connect us to people reporting from the ground. She did all of this in both Arabic and English to reach and impact both the Sudanese diaspora and mobilize allies in support of Sudan. In “My Sister, Sara”,Elhassan and Amin explore the topics survivor’s guilt, youth movements, and the role of women in the Sudanese revolution. 

This film is in dedication to our warriors, our martyrs, our sisters, our brothers, who believed when we didn’t and gave everything they had left, so that we can continue to have a dream that we call home.