Still from Khartoum showing a tree in the Sudanese landscape, symbolizing resilience amid displacement and civil unrest.
Still from Khartoum, a contemplative film following five citizens of Sudan as they share their stories of civil unrest, the military coup, and their search for safety in neighboring countries.
 
Play Video

Play Video

Khartoum

by Brahim Snoopy, Rawia Alhag , Anas Saeed, Timeea Mohamed Ahmed & Philip Cox
Five Sudanese citizens recount their lives using experimental green screen techniques to capture a period of crisis and resilience.
2025  ·  1h20m  ·  Germany, Qatar, Sudan, United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland
Arabic
English subs
About the Film

In 2022, four Sudanese filmmakers, along with a British director-writer, began filming the lives and dreams of five very different citizens in Khartoum:

Street boy LOKAIN (12) and his best friend WILSON (11) embark on a mission in Khartoum’s rubbish dumps to buy two beautiful shirts.

KHADMALLAH (28) a single mum and tea vendor engages her daily clientele in gossip and cardamom coffee whilst studying math to start her dream business.

JAWAD (30) is a Sufi Rastafarian resistance volunteer who rides a motorcycle and protests for a civilian government against the military.

Civil servant MAJDI (45) escapes office life by racing pigeons with his son

When filming started, the Sudanese were faced with a military leadership that had brought down the previous civilian government. Soon, however, war broke out between the army and the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) militia, displacing over ten million people.

The filmmakers and participants escaped to East Africa but continued their innovative cinematic storytelling, combining animation, green screen reconstructions, and documentary ‘dreamscapes’ to tell their stories.

Filmed on location with donated iPhones, the four emerging Sudanese filmmakers (Anas Saeed, Rawia Al Hag, Brahim Snoopy and Timeea M. Ahmed) capture the stark realism of one of Africa’s great cities as it is consumed by turmoil and war.

Upcoming Screenings
About the Director

Anas Saeed

Anas Saeed, one of the directors of the documentary Khartoum, posing against a plain background.
Director Anas Saeed from the documentary Khartoum.

Anas Saeeda Sudanese media maker, started working as a video journalist for the independent media house, Ayin Network. He has produced several reportage works for international media that focus on human rights issues affecting different communities across Sudan. His work for Ayin Media has focused on covering culture and the recent war. His latest work is Five Meals of Resistance, soon to be released to festivals.

 

Timeea Mohamed Ahmed

Timeea M. Ahmed, one of the directors of the documentary Khartoum, standing outdoors wearing a brown jacket and blue scarf.
Director Timeea M. Ahmed from the documentary Khartoum.

Timeea Mohamed Ahmed is a Sudanese director, editor & producer based in East-Africa. His work explores non-narrative experimental & documentary. He directed short films, including Saddari (2023) and Is it War? (2024). Other credits are Flower of Sinkat(2018), Hope Journey (2021), as well as advocacy and commercial campaigns. His films center on the culture and struggles of Sudan

 

Rawia Alhag

Rawia Alhag, one of the directors of the documentary Khartoum, smiling in front of a colorful background.
Director Rawia Alhag from the documentary Khartoum.

Rawia Alhag  is a Sudanese filmmaker and screenwriter now based inNairobi, Kenya. Her work focuses on women’s and children’s issues, shedding light onthe experiences and struggles of Sudanese people both within their communities and inthe diaspora. She directed theaward-winning short film”Out of Coverage”, which wonBest Foreign Film at the Juba Film Festival.

 

Philip Cox

Phil Cox, one of the directors of the documentary Khartoum (2025), wearing a light blue shirt and sitting outdoors.
Director Phil Cox from the documentary Khartoum (2025).

Phil is the co-director of award-winning indie film collective Native Voice Films since 1998 and has directed and shot over 30 films for TV and cinema. His recent cinematic features as director/writer are THE BENGALI DETECTIVE (Sundance and Berlin premiere–HBO), LOVE HOTEL (Toronto premiere. Netflix / BBC Storyville), BETTY THEY SAY I’M DIFFERENT (IDFA premiere, ARTE / BBC / Amazon), THE CLEANER(FR2), AND THE SPIDER-MAN OF SUDAN (ARTE / GUARDIAN). He is the recipient of a British Grierson Award, a Rory Peck Award, and the Hinzpeter and Bayeux Calvados awards for his work in Sudan since 2004

 

Brahim Snoopy

Brahim Snoopy, one of the directors of the documentary Khartoum, smiling and wearing sunglasses indoors.
Director Brahim Snoopy from the documentary Khartoum.

Brahim Snoopyis a Sudanese filmmaker and cinematographer working recently for ARTE, BBC and The Washington Post, as well as music videos, commercials, and shorts.Notable works include the feature documentaries *Khartoum Offside*, which won BestDocumentary at the Carthage Film Festival, andFrom Argentina to Sudan, as well asthe award-winning shorts Serotonin and Journey to Kenya. This is his second feature.

 

Share

Facebook
LinkedIn
Reddit
Tumblr
StumbleUpon
Pocket
Telegram
Email