Suzannah Mirghani makes her feature debut with Cotton Queen, becoming the first Sudanese woman to direct a feature film. The production, originally planned for Sudan, was moved to Egypt after war broke out in 2023. The film addresses the long shadow of the British empire, neocolonialism, women's rights and female genital mutilation, while preserving a sense of mystery and shivers of magic realism.
A Village Elder's Iron Will
Set in present-day Sudan, the story centres on Al-Sit (Rabha Mohamed Mahmoud), a village elder described as an iron-willed woman not to be messed with. Everyone knows the story of how, as a young girl, she ran the British out of town; village children gleefully recount how she slaughtered every single one of them. Whether it can possibly be true is a central question, and Mahmoud's witchy performance, fierce and powerful, is utterly compelling.
Marriage and a Multinational's Arrival
Al-Sit is arranging the marriage of her beloved 15-year-old granddaughter Nafisa (Mihad Murtada). But Nafisa's mother has another husband in mind: businessman Nadir (Hassan Kasala), of Sudanese heritage but raised abroad. Nadir arrives in the village to sell farmers genetically modified cotton seeds manufactured by a multinational, hinting at history repeating itself as international interests try to control local resources.
Poetry-writing Nafisa is appalled by both husband options, nursing a teenage crush on a sweet boy who grows onions. While the setup suggests a showdown, the film is less about who she should marry than her ability to shape her own future. It is not perfect, and its tonal shifts do not always work, but it is unlikely another film like it will appear this year. Cotton Queen opens in UK and Irish cinemas on 2 October.
