International Feature Film Competition
From the bustling streets of Khartoum, the lives of five Sudanese individuals intertwine: a civil servant, a tea vendor, a resistance volunteer, and two street boys. Their personal dreams, resilience, and struggles unfold amid revolution, displacement, and war. Through a blend of realism, dreamlike animation, and intimate storytelling, ‘Khartoum’ offers a poetic and compelling portrait of survival, courage, and hope in a city consumed by conflict, yet persisting to live with human spirit and perseverance.
From the bustling streets of Khartoum, the lives of five Sudanese individuals intertwine: a civil servant, a tea vendor, a resistance volunteer, and two street boys. Their personal dreams, resilience, and struggles unfold amid revolution, displacement, and war. Through a blend of realism, dreamlike animation, and intimate storytelling, ‘Khartoum’ offers a poetic and compelling portrait of survival, courage, and hope in a city consumed by conflict, yet persisting to live with human spirit and perseverance.
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Five lives, one city: Khartoum. In this hybrid documentary, a civil servant, a tea vendor, two young street boys, and a resistance volunteer embody the resilience and fragility of a nation in turmoil. Filmed on donated iPhones by four emerging Sudanese directors in collaboration with Phil Cox, the film began as an intimate portrait of daily life under military rule. When war erupted in 2023, the filmmakers and participants were forced into exile, yet continued the project, incorporating animation, dream reconstructions, and fragments to capture the shifting realities of their city.
The result is a cinematic poem that fuses stark street realism with symbolic dreamscapes, reflecting both the brutality of war and the private inner worlds of those enduring it. With striking honesty, ‘Khartoum’ bears witness to displacement, solidarity, and the ongoing struggle for freedom in Sudan, offering a raw and unflinching look at lives reshaped by upheaval. More than a record of war, the film is an elegy to a city transformed and a tribute to the unbreakable spirit of its people. Through intimate storytelling, inventive visual techniques, and striking honesty, ‘Khartoum’ captures the courage, hope, and resilience that endure even amid the chaos of modern Sudan.
Five lives, one city: Khartoum. In this hybrid documentary, a civil servant, a tea vendor, two young street boys, and a resistance volunteer embody the resilience and fragility of a nation in turmoil. Filmed on donated iPhones by four emerging Sudanese directors in collaboration with Phil Cox, the film began as an intimate portrait of daily life under military rule. When war erupted in 2023, the filmmakers and participants were forced into exile, yet continued the project, incorporating animation, dream reconstructions, and fragments to capture the shifting realities of their city.
The result is a cinematic poem that fuses stark street realism with symbolic dreamscapes, reflecting both the brutality of war and the private inner worlds of those enduring it. With striking honesty, ‘Khartoum’ bears witness to displacement, solidarity, and the ongoing struggle for freedom in Sudan, offering a raw and unflinching look at lives reshaped by upheaval. More than a record of war, the film is an elegy to a city transformed and a tribute to the unbreakable spirit of its people. Through intimate storytelling, inventive visual techniques, and striking honesty, ‘Khartoum’ captures the courage, hope, and resilience that endure even amid the chaos of modern Sudan.
