Khartoum

Playful yet quietly radical, this film was shot before and during Sudan’s latest civil war — a conflict that, since spring 2023, has driven millions from their homes. That figure includes four of the directors and five of the participants of Khartoum, a strikingly inventive ensemble piece that doubles as an accessible primer on this complex and under-reported conflict. Employing green screen storytelling to lyrical effect, the filmmakers empower these participants—a civil servant, a tea vendor, a resistance committee volunteer and two young scrap collectors—to re-enact their experiences of the nation’s descent into violence and their subsequent journeys to neighbouring East African nations in search of refuge. Along with these vibrant and sometimes fantastical sequences, the filmmakers present observational passages, captured in peacetime before all involved were forced to flee. The result is a poignant juxtaposition that underscores the human toll of Sudan’s political turmoil, as well as the hopes and dreams the war has put on hold.

Co-presented with Africa Film Fest Australia