Entertainment Desk

Far from the frontlines of Sudan's devastating war, a new generation of amateur women filmmakers is gathering in the formerly sleepy city of Port Sudan to explore the untold stories of their troubled country.

Armed with only their smartphones, the women, brought together in a project run by filmmaker Mohamed Fawi, have produced three short documentaries tackling education, independence and community resilience.

"After the war broke out, I felt compelled to keep contributing from within Sudan," said Mohamed Fawi.

He relocated 800 kilometres (500 miles) northeast to Port Sudan from Khartoum, where fighting between the regular army and paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) has devastated the city since mid-April 2023.

According to UN estimates, the war has displaced more than 11 million people -- over a quarter of a million to around Port Sudan, the de facto capital now hosting the army-aligned government and international organisations.

Like millions who fled the war-torn capital, Fawi, a visual artist and filmmaker with more than a decade's experience, had to leave everything behind.

"We lost all our equipment in Khartoum," he told AFP. "We could not get any cameras. So, our only option was smartphones."

In Port Sudan, he began his project to empower women through film production, initially training 11 women in cinematography, scriptwriting and directing techniques, as well as post-production skills.
- 'Challenging but rewarding' -

In one standout film, girls from eastern Sudan's Beja tribe beam at the camera as director Areej Hussein, 26, carefully frames her shot.

The short titled "Toknan" -- which means "knowledge" in the local language -- captures their journey as they learn to read, make incense, craft embroidery, and market their creations online.

For cinematographer Tasabih Hussein, 22, the whole process of production was thrilling.

"We filmed for seven days, ending up with about 32 hours of footage, which we then condensed to 18 minutes," she told AFP.
Another documentary, Eithar Khairy's "Ana Hona" (I Am Here) follows two women who run Talking Hands, an initiative supporting deaf women and children displaced by war.

Doctor-turned-filmmaker Khairy said capturing the footage was "challenging" but it was "incredibly rewarding" to see children being offered a bridge to communicate with a world that is often out of reach.

The third film, Zeinab Alfadel's "Umm Al Fuqara" (Mother of the Poor), follows two women who try to set up a health and cultural day for those displaced by the war.

They aim to foster a sense of identity and belonging through traditional dances at a cultural centre on the outskirts of Port Sudan.
"It is a model for peaceful coexistence," said Alfadel, a chemical engineer by training.

- 'Just the beginning' -
Before the war, Sudan's nascent film industry was just beginning to gain international recognition.

The country's first feature film in decades -- Amjad Abu Alala's "You Will Die at Twenty" -- became Sudan's first-ever Oscar submission in 2020.

In May of last year, political drama "Goodbye Julia" by Mohamed Kordofani was featured in the Un Certain Regard section of the Cannes Film Festival.

Port Sudan has no cinematic pedigree but an influx of Khartoum's artists since the war began is helping to put it on the map.

Fawi believes the project's success lies in the determination of the women involved.

"Normally, producing a documentary takes over a year, but these women managed to create theirs in just a few months," he said.

The filmmakers are now setting their sights higher.

"I want the world to see eastern Sudan through our films," cinematographer Hussein said.

They are eager to tell more stories, whether through documentaries that delve into reality or fictional films that weave imagination with truth.

"I dream of producing films that can be seen by the world and be screened at the largest film festivals," Alfadel said.

Fawi, too, is undeterred. He has plans for a second round of training to inspire more female filmmakers and nurture a new generation of storytellers in Sudan.

"This is just the beginning," he said.