International Feature Film Competition
In a cotton-farming village in Sudan, teenage Nafisa finds herself torn between tradition and change. When a businessman arrives with genetically modified cotton and a marriage proposal, she becomes the centre of a struggle for her village’s future. As her grandmother, Al-Sit, clings to old hierarchies, Nafisa begins to awaken to her own power. ‘Cotton Queen' is a tender and politically charged coming-of-age tale about women’s resilience, self-determination, and the fight to shape their destiny.
In a cotton-farming village in Sudan, teenage Nafisa finds herself torn between tradition and change. When a businessman arrives with genetically modified cotton and a marriage proposal, she becomes the centre of a struggle for her village’s future. As her grandmother, Al-Sit, clings to old hierarchies, Nafisa begins to awaken to her own power. ‘Cotton Queen' is a tender and politically charged coming-of-age tale about women’s resilience, self-determination, and the fight to shape their destiny.
Set in a cotton-farming village in Sudan, ‘Cotton Queen’ follows teenage Nafisa as she stands at the crossroads of tradition, modernity, and survival. Guided by her grandmother, Al-Sit, whose stories and memories of resistance against colonialism still shape the village, Nafisa becomes the focal point of a new struggle when a wealthy entrepreneur arrives from abroad with a proposal to modernise the village’s cotton industry and seeks her hand in marriage. Torn between personal longing and communal duty, Nafisa must navigate the fragile balance between empowerment and expectation.
Qatar-based writer-director Suzannah Mirghani crafts an intimate and politically layered portrait of Sudanese womanhood, weaving themes of identity, matriarchy, and resistance into a richly textured narrative. ‘Cotton Queen’ continues the story world of Mirghani’s award-winning short film ‘Al-Sit’, expanding it into a sweeping reflection on heritage and transformation. Filmed after the outbreak of war in Sudan in 2023 and recreated in Egypt with Sudanese refugees, the production itself mirrors the film’s themes of displacement, resilience, and creative endurance. With lyrical cinematography and understated performances, the poignant film stands as a cinematic ode to the strength and spirit of women who persist, create, and dream in the face of loss and upheaval.
Qatar-based writer-director Suzannah Mirghani crafts an intimate and politically layered portrait of Sudanese womanhood, weaving themes of identity, matriarchy, and resistance into a richly textured narrative. ‘Cotton Queen’ continues the story world of Mirghani’s award-winning short film ‘Al-Sit’, expanding it into a sweeping reflection on heritage and transformation. Filmed after the outbreak of war in Sudan in 2023 and recreated in Egypt with Sudanese refugees, the production itself mirrors the film’s themes of displacement, resilience, and creative endurance. With lyrical cinematography and understated performances, the poignant film stands as a cinematic ode to the strength and spirit of women who persist, create, and dream in the face of loss and upheaval.
