From the Ground Up: A Story about Sudan and Film

In 2019, out of the blues, the film “You Will Die at Twenty” was released, participated, and even won several awards in numerous international festivals. While this might be normal for Arabic and African movies, it was the first time in history to see a Sudanese film make this buzz.

Directed by Amjad Abu Alala, You Will Die at Twenty is based on the short story by Sudanese writer Hammour Ziada “Sleeping at The Foot of The Mountain.”

During the Cairo International Film Festival’s 43rd edition, we had the chance to meet with You Will Die at Twenty’s director Amjad Abu Alala, producer Mohamed Al-Omda, and the film stars Mustafa Shehata and Bunna Khalid.

We learned about the history of Sudanese films and how they managed to make an award-winning film in a country where they stopped making films for over 30 years.

Directed by: Karim Rafik