{"id":205811,"date":"2025-01-21T23:00:15","date_gmt":"2025-01-21T22:00:15","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/iffr.com\/en\/?p=205811"},"modified":"2025-01-22T18:12:44","modified_gmt":"2025-01-22T17:12:44","slug":"blog-indaba-in-focus-with-mohammed-alomda","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/iffr.com\/en\/blog-indaba-in-focus-with-mohammed-alomda","title":{"rendered":"Indaba In Focus with Mohammed Alomda: \u201ccreate strong co-productions between African countries\u201d"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

In celebration of the fourth edition of IFFR Pro\u2019s 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.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Film still: You Will Die at Twenty<\/strong> by Amjad Abu Alala (IFFR 2020)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

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.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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\u201cThis was the path for me to start my career and build a network\u201d<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

Before becoming a fully realised film professional and a staple figure in Sudan\u2019s 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 \u201csomething like medicine, or engineering\u201d. However, he chose another path, ending up getting two bachelor\u2019s 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: \u201cthis was the path for me to start my career and build a network.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI got exposure to the industry very early\u201d, 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\u2019 network in Cannes. He also works in film programming at the Sudan Independent Film Festival.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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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<\/strong>, (IFFR 2020) which received the Lion of the Future award in Venice, Captain of Za\u2019atari<\/strong> (2021), which won the audience award in Sundance, The Burdened<\/strong> (2023), screened at the 2023 Berlinale where it received the Amnesty International Film Award, and Goodbye Julia<\/strong> (2023), the first Sudanese feature film to screen in Cannes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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“I need the experience of humanity”<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

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 \u201ca different level\u201d. When asked about his choice to come back to one of IFFR\u2019s development programmes, this time for the Indaba, Mohammed states that even though the online edition of the Rotterdam Lab was a \u201cgreat experience\u201d, he likes to \u201cbe in touch with people in a physical way\u201d and needs \u201cthe experience of humanity\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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\u201cWe are still working in film in Sudan, and we should find ways to do it in a safe space.\u201d<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

In light of Sudan\u2019s 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. \u201cWe need to find new ways for production and co-production, because we don\u2019t have many sources of money we can access, especially after the war\u201d. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Film still: Captain of Za’atari<\/strong> by Ali El Arabi<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

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: \u201cwe are still working in film in Sudan, and we should find ways to do it in a safe space.\u201d He adds that there are no locations to shoot in anymore in Sudan, \u201conly 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\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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\u201cThe army does not want films that speak up about the situation in Sudan\u201d<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

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 <\/strong>(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. \u201cThe army does not want films that speak up about the situation in Sudan\u201d, 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 <\/strong>is only now, \u201cafter five years, in one Egyptian arthouse cinema\u201d, but has never screened in Sudan.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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\u201cYou Will Die at Twenty was the first feature film in Sudan for twenty years\u201d<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

Looking back on the experience of shooting You Will Die at Twenty<\/strong>, 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 \u201ctoo many challenges\u201d. Mohammed and Amjad started the project together, \u201con a sheet of paper\u201d, 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. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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 \u201cnone of the other producers came to Sudan\u201d 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.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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\u201cEvery time a market announces projects, I see Sudanese films\u201d<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

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: \u201cI 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\u201d. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Film still: Julia<\/strong><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

However, most Sudanese filmmakers are \u201cself-educated\u201d, and that what they need is \u201ca lot of workshops at international standards\u201d. 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\u2019t have that knowledge and for which \u201cthis international exchange of experience is essential\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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\u201cHow to see yourself as a human being in two eyes: Sudanese and Palestinian\u201d<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

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. \u201cThis film is nostalgic to me, even to talk about\u201d, says the producer. He describes it as a \u201ccreative documentary\u201d that mixes animation with revolution footage and addresses \u201chow to see yourself as a human being in two eyes: Sudanese and Palestinian\u201d. He adds that \u201cit\u2019s a film with a very emotional topic for Sudanese people\u201d 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.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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\u201cPeople need to change their focus not on the culture of African people, but on the culture of people from Africa\u201d<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

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: \u201cpeople should remember Africa is not a country: it\u2019s 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 \u2013 not African films. We need to remove this conception\u201d. Reflecting what French-African producer Ma\u00e9va Ranaivojaona previously encouraged, the Sudanese producer\u2019s final thought similarly emphasises the need to promote and access authentic African cinema: \u201cwe 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\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Film still: The Burdened<\/strong><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
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About Creative Producer Indaba<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

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\u2019s 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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