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30 Jan – 9 Feb 2025

Indaba In Focus with Mohammed Alomda: “create strong co-productions between African countries”

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In celebration of the fourth edition of IFFR Pro’s talent programme Creative Producer Indaba, a partnership with Realness Institute, EAVE and the Atlas Workshops, IFFR takes on a mission to paint an authentic portrait of the realities, power and diversity of independent African cinema.

Film still: You Will Die at Twenty by Amjad Abu Alala (IFFR 2020)

Indaba In Focus continues with a realistic portrait of the Sudanese film industry and the challenges faced by Sudanese filmmakers in a mission to keep cinema alive during times of war. Shedding light on these topics, IFFR Pro is in conversation with a key figure of Sudanese new wave cinema, producer and filmmaker Mohammed Alomda, co-founder of Station Films, alumnus of the Rotterdam Lab, and participant in the fourth edition of the Creative Producer Indaba.

“This was the path for me to start my career and build a network”

Before becoming a fully realised film professional and a staple figure in Sudan’s cinema landscape, with plenty of the films he produced making it into festivals like Venice, Cannes, Sundance, and Berlinale, Mohammed was encouraged by his mother to follow a more stable career in “something like medicine, or engineering”. However, he chose another path, ending up getting two bachelor’s degrees, one in architecture and one in multimedia filmmaking. Due to his background in architecture, he entered the film industry as a production designer for short films and commercials: “this was the path for me to start my career and build a network.”

“I got exposure to the industry very early”, adds Mohammed about being part of talent development programmes such as Talents Durban, Talents Beirut, and the online edition of the Rotterdam Lab. He mentions that by recommendation from the Rotterdam Lab he managed to access the prestigious producers’ network in Cannes. He also works in film programming at the Sudan Independent Film Festival.

After kick-starting his career, Mohammed, in collaboration with his business partner and good friend Amjad Abu Alala, produced and co-produced various short and feature films which received international recognition – You Will Die at Twenty, (IFFR 2020) which received the Lion of the Future award in Venice, Captain of Za’atari (2021), which won the audience award in Sundance, The Burdened (2023), screened at the 2023 Berlinale where it received the Amnesty International Film Award, and Goodbye Julia (2023), the first Sudanese feature film to screen in Cannes.

“I need the experience of humanity”

Having access to the industry from an early age and being part of many international festivals did not stop Mohammed from still participating in international markets and constantly searching to advance his professional career to “a different level”. When asked about his choice to come back to one of IFFR’s development programmes, this time for the Indaba, Mohammed states that even though the online edition of the Rotterdam Lab was a “great experience”, he likes to “be in touch with people in a physical way” and needs “the experience of humanity”.

“We are still working in film in Sudan, and we should find ways to do it in a safe space.”

In light of Sudan’s humanitarian crisis, the producer talks about the current state of the Sudanese film industry caused by the suppression of cinema and public cultural life by the government since the 1989 military coup. “We need to find new ways for production and co-production, because we don’t have many sources of money we can access, especially after the war”.

Film still: Captain of Za’atari by Ali El Arabi

He hopes that markets and programmes like the Indaba can foster an international network which Sudanese filmmakers can access, in between countries from Africa, but also in between African and European countries: “we are still working in film in Sudan, and we should find ways to do it in a safe space.” He adds that there are no locations to shoot in anymore in Sudan, “only two safe areas from the ongoing war. We need to relocate our shooting locations outside of Sudan, and for that we need an international network. This is the reason I applied for Indaba: to make new connections with producers and create strong co-productions between African countries”.

“The army does not want films that speak up about the situation in Sudan”

One of the biggest problems of the Sudanese film industry, according to Mohammed, is the heavy censorship imposed by the army. He gives the example of You Will Die at Twenty (IFFR 2020), the 2019 Venice-awarded feature directed by Amjad Abu Alala and produced by Mohammed. The film unfolds a fable about the straitjacket of tradition and the call of freedom, wherein lurks a poetic metaphor for contemporary Sudan, dedicated to the victims of the Sudanese Revolution. “The army does not want films that speak up about the situation in Sudan”, says Mohammed. He adds that because of the censorship imposed by the army, no films have been screened in Sudan and that You Will Die at Twenty is only now, “after five years, in one Egyptian arthouse cinema”, but has never screened in Sudan.

“You Will Die at Twenty was the first feature film in Sudan for twenty years”

Looking back on the experience of shooting You Will Die at Twenty, the Sudanese producer says that even though it was a fulfilling project, seeing that it encouraged the emergence of a new generation of Sudanese filmmakers, it posed “too many challenges”. Mohammed and Amjad started the project together, “on a sheet of paper”, recalls the filmmaker. He adds that many producers refused the film on the grounds that there is no cinema in Sudan and making the feature come to life would be very challenging.

At only 26 years old, Mohammed did not have the necessary experience to be listed as the producer of the film, so the production was taken on by Egyptian producer Hossam Elouan. However, Mohammed states that “none of the other producers came to Sudan” and he was the one producing the film on the ground, travelling each day for five hours to the village where the film was shot, and trying to make everything work despite the 6 p.m. curfew imposed by the oppressive government.

“Every time a market announces projects, I see Sudanese films”

Since April 2023, the ethnically motivated conflict between the paramilitary forces of the RSF and the SAF has left the Sudanese people in one of the worst humanitarian crises of current times. Despite these dire conditions, increasingly more aspiring Sudanese filmmakers are attempting to cultivate an authentic Sudanese film culture and endure in the face of oppression, following the wave started by Mohammed and Amjad: “I think we started a big thing, Amjad and I. There is a new generation of Sudanese filmmakers coming up in the industry. Every market I go to, I see a new filmmaker”. 

Film still: Julia

However, most Sudanese filmmakers are “self-educated”, and that what they need is “a lot of workshops at international standards”. By having access to the industry early and tapping into international markets, the Sudanese filmmaker educated himself on how to deal with the market and build a network. However, there are a lot of young filmmakers who don’t have that knowledge and for which “this international exchange of experience is essential”.

“How to see yourself as a human being in two eyes: Sudanese and Palestinian”

Among the projects he is currently working on, Mohammed emphasises the film he will present during the Indaba programme, a feature co-directed by a Sudanese-Canadian filmmaker and a Palestinian filmmaker. “This film is nostalgic to me, even to talk about”, says the producer. He describes it as a “creative documentary” that mixes animation with revolution footage and addresses “how to see yourself as a human being in two eyes: Sudanese and Palestinian”. He adds that “it’s a film with a very emotional topic for Sudanese people” because it presents true events that happened during the Sudanese revolution, when hundreds of students were killed by the army because they went out on the streets to protest.

“People need to change their focus not on the culture of African people, but on the culture of people from Africa”

Discussing the general perception of Western audiences on African cinema, Mohammed encourages people from around the world to critically approach media that is not European and US-centric, stating the evident but overlooked: “people should remember Africa is not a country: it’s thousands of languages and thousands of people and thousands of different features. We need to change the focus not on the culture of African people, but on the culture of people from Africa. There are Sudanese films and there are South African films – not African films. We need to remove this conception”. Reflecting what French-African producer Maéva Ranaivojaona previously encouraged, the Sudanese producer’s final thought similarly emphasises the need to promote and access authentic African cinema: “we need to see realistic films, not films manipulating viewers for emotions. When I see African films made in Hollywood, they are seeking for emotions, not for the real. We need to see African films made by African directors”.

Film still: The Burdened

About Creative Producer Indaba

Through Creative Producer Indaba, IFFR Pro in collaboration with Festival International du Film de Marrakech, Realness Institute, EAVE and Atlas Workshops brings together 15 participants united by their commitment to authentic African storytelling and looking to hone their leadership and creative skills together with like-minded individuals. This year’s edition includes a first workshop at the Festival International du Film de Marrakech, followed by sessions in Rotterdam during the IFFR Pro Days at IFFR 2025.

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