Cotton Queen
Synopsis
Life in a Sudanese village is dominated by cotton and Al-Sit, an old lady who fought off the British many years earlier. Her grand daughter Nafisa is happy with her life, hoping to marry Babiker, until Nadir arrives, selling the villagers on GM seeds, and looking for a wife. Nadir's mother sees him as a good bet, regardless of what Nadir thinks...
Director/writer "Mirghani gradually builds a sense of the pressures on Nafisa as she realises that her own desires may well be sacrificed for what is considered the greater good of the village. Her mother and grandmother have plans that pay little heed to what Nafisa wants...The pressures on her may be considerable, but her quiet determination to face them down makes for an appealing heroine" - Alan Hunter, Screen Daily.
Director/writer "Mirghani gradually builds a sense of the pressures on Nafisa as she realises that her own desires may well be sacrificed for what is considered the greater good of the village. Her mother and grandmother have plans that pay little heed to what Nafisa wants...The pressures on her may be considerable, but her quiet determination to face them down makes for an appealing heroine" - Alan Hunter, Screen Daily.
Critics
“Frida Marzouk's dreamy cinematography effortlessly transitions between magical realism and village life.”
“There is a mythical quality to this atmospheric first feature from Sudanese-Russian film-maker Suzannah Mirghani, blending a coming-of-age narrative with a striking depiction of the collision between tradition and modernity.”