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Cinema and Communication
The early beginnings of cinema in Sudan were tied to a direct communicative function under the Administrative Secretary's Office of the Sudanese government. In 1946, a mobile cinema truck was brought in from Kenya to screen propaganda films directly aligned with government messaging. Its role later evolved slightly to include the production of educational and news films.
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The early beginnings of cinema in Sudan were tied to a direct communicative function under the Administrative Secretary's Office of the Sudanese government. In 1946, a mobile cinema truck was brought in from Kenya to screen propaganda films directly aligned with government messaging. Its role later evolved slightly to include the production of educational and news films. These films were shown to local communities, accompanied by explanations and commentary from specialists in health, agricultural guidance, and education. This was done through field tours across villages and towns in various Sudanese regions to support adult education programmes and other government initiatives.
This experiment bore fruit in establishing a foundation for direct communication. Subsequently, nine additional mobile cinema trucks were proccurred and equipped for travelling film screenings. Operators and commentators were appointed to accompany these trucks, which toured the country year-round, showcasing short Sudanese documentary films. In 1949, the first Sudanese Film Unit was established under the Office of Information and Labour. This unit was tasked with producing documentary and informational films about some of the most significant events and projects in Sudan at the time.
If we reconsider the nature of films produced in the early 1950s, particularly within a communicative function that sought to deliver serious, non-governmental messages unrelated to direct purposes such as guidance or education, we find only two or three films among them that represented serious attempts to convey important messages or address social or political issues. The primary focus during this period was on documentary cinema rather than narrative films. Among these serious documentary attempts in Sudanese cinema were a few noteworthy films, such as The Homeless Childhood, directed by Kamal Muhammad Ibrahim. This film addressed the issue of displaced children migrating from rural areas to cities, where they struggled to adapt to the fast pace of urban life and the demands of various jobs, often falling into delinquency, such as theft. This film was produced after independence, between 1956 and 1957. Following a similar path, The Afflicted was produced, filmed by the Sudanese director and cinematographer Jadallah Jubara, who had previously directed Tor al-Jar in the Clinic.
During this period, most documentary films focused on official governmental activities and achievements, lacking distinctive cinematic or artistic treatment that could develop artistic or socially significant messages independent of direct political content. However, these films often included messages highlighting Sudan's regions, showcasing its tourism potential, and documenting some of the most important political events. Examples include films such as The Evacuation and Sudan's Independence, The Displacement of Wadi Halfa Residents, Visit to Jebel Marra, The Gezira Project, President Abboud’s Visit to China, The Voyage of the Steamboat from Kosti to Juba, The Arab Kings and Presidents Conference, and Al-La’at Al-Thlatha.
This film unit is estimated to have produced around 40,000 films, according to testimonies from some of its workers. It also issued a weekly newsreel distributed to commercial cinemas to be screened during intermissions.
Elsewhere outside the city of Khartoum, there was a skilled photographer called Rashid Mahdi who grew up in a bustling industrial town echoing with the sounds of trains along the banks of the Atbara River. He studied carpentry at the School of Crafts in Omdurman and joined the Sudan Railways workshops in 1949. However, he soon rebelled against the path he was following and turned to the art of photography. He purchased an "Almonite" camera from a Greek photographer and began capturing images of the city's historic landmarks.
In the early 1950s, he established the first photographic studio and started importing paper and film to set up his own lab. He corresponded with Kodak in London and visited its branch in Egypt in 1957. He organized photography exhibitions and contributed to the making of Sudan’s first feature-length narrative film, Hopes and Dreams (1970), directed by Ibrahim Malasi. This marked the beginning of a new era for Sudanese cinema, which would soon witness the emergence of a second generation of filmmakers.
This new generation, having studied at various film institutes and schools worldwide—including in Germany, Cyprus, Egypt, the United States, and Moscow—excelled in producing Sudanese films that carried significant messages. Their works ranged from narrative to documentary films, often addressing themes and stories closely tied to the daily and historical concerns of the Sudanese people.
There was also a growing interest in showcasing Sudan's cultural diversity and documenting rare cultural practices and heritage stories. For instance, Hussein Sharif explored these themes in his film Jad‘ al-Nar (1973), while the poet and director Ali Abdel-Gayoum captured the renowned women’s ritual Zar in 1988 and similarly, the film Tajouj (1980) by Jadallah Jubara.
The film Jad‘ al-Nar focused on introducing the tribes of the southern Blue Nile region of Sudan. These tribes worshiped fire and the sun in ancient times and have distinct rituals during harvest celebrations, including dances, festivals, and various other practices as part of a larger tradition known as Jad‘ al-Nar (Throwing Fire). This tradition continues to be practiced every rainy season to this day.
Hussein Sharif also collaborated with Ateyyat El Abnoudy in directing the film Diaries in Exile, produced in 1993 by the Sudanese Organization for Human Rights. The film documented the stories of displacement experienced by individuals and groups who shared their personal testimonies of the period following the coup of the Islamic National Front in Sudan in 1989. This era witnessed massive emigration of Sudanese people to various parts of the world, as Sudan became an unwelcoming place for its citizens—a situation echoed today during the war that began on April 15, 2023. At the time of the film's production, the majority of Sudanese migrants had relocated to Egypt, where the film was shot. The number of Sudanese refugees in Egypt during that period reached approximately three million.
The artistic, intellectual, and social messages in Sudanese cinema developed significantly with the subsequent generation, taking on advanced philosophical and aesthetic dimensions. This evolution is evident in the works of Ibrahim Shaddad, Suleiman Mohamed Ibrahim, and Al-Tayyib Mahdi. Ibrahim Shaddad's films, particularly Insan (Human) in 1994, consistently addressed existential and philosophical issues. This film delved into the crisis caused by the September Laws of 1983, enacted by the dictatorship of Jafar Nimeiri. Through a simple narrative style, it documented the injustices and crimes associated with these laws, such as amputations and other harsh punishments, and their devastating impact on the lives of ordinary people.
Al-Tayyib Mahdi explored a similar theme in Al-Dhareeh (The Shrine) in 1977, offering a different perspective. In a prescient critique, he highlighted the dangers of political Islam in Sudan and the exploitation of religion to deceive society.
In another notable work, Barakat al-Sheikh, the feature film directed by Abbadi Mahjoub and Jadallah Jubara, tells the story of a charlatan who manipulates the minds of simple villagers by claiming supernatural abilities. The film demonstrates how religion can be exploited in a society deprived of education and knowledge, leading to devastating consequences.
The film Al-Mahatta (The Station), released in 1989, tackled the problems of capitalist development and the neglect of human needs in areas of economic abundance. Through highly contrasting visual scenes, it portrayed hundreds of trucks loaded with cash crops for export in an agricultural city like Gadarif, juxtaposed with a poor family standing on the roadside with a sick person carried on the back of a donkey, waiting for transportation to the nearest hospital in the city.
Artwork designed by Hind Abdelbagi
The early beginnings of cinema in Sudan were tied to a direct communicative function under the Administrative Secretary's Office of the Sudanese government. In 1946, a mobile cinema truck was brought in from Kenya to screen propaganda films directly aligned with government messaging. Its role later evolved slightly to include the production of educational and news films. These films were shown to local communities, accompanied by explanations and commentary from specialists in health, agricultural guidance, and education. This was done through field tours across villages and towns in various Sudanese regions to support adult education programmes and other government initiatives.
This experiment bore fruit in establishing a foundation for direct communication. Subsequently, nine additional mobile cinema trucks were proccurred and equipped for travelling film screenings. Operators and commentators were appointed to accompany these trucks, which toured the country year-round, showcasing short Sudanese documentary films. In 1949, the first Sudanese Film Unit was established under the Office of Information and Labour. This unit was tasked with producing documentary and informational films about some of the most significant events and projects in Sudan at the time.
If we reconsider the nature of films produced in the early 1950s, particularly within a communicative function that sought to deliver serious, non-governmental messages unrelated to direct purposes such as guidance or education, we find only two or three films among them that represented serious attempts to convey important messages or address social or political issues. The primary focus during this period was on documentary cinema rather than narrative films. Among these serious documentary attempts in Sudanese cinema were a few noteworthy films, such as The Homeless Childhood, directed by Kamal Muhammad Ibrahim. This film addressed the issue of displaced children migrating from rural areas to cities, where they struggled to adapt to the fast pace of urban life and the demands of various jobs, often falling into delinquency, such as theft. This film was produced after independence, between 1956 and 1957. Following a similar path, The Afflicted was produced, filmed by the Sudanese director and cinematographer Jadallah Jubara, who had previously directed Tor al-Jar in the Clinic.
During this period, most documentary films focused on official governmental activities and achievements, lacking distinctive cinematic or artistic treatment that could develop artistic or socially significant messages independent of direct political content. However, these films often included messages highlighting Sudan's regions, showcasing its tourism potential, and documenting some of the most important political events. Examples include films such as The Evacuation and Sudan's Independence, The Displacement of Wadi Halfa Residents, Visit to Jebel Marra, The Gezira Project, President Abboud’s Visit to China, The Voyage of the Steamboat from Kosti to Juba, The Arab Kings and Presidents Conference, and Al-La’at Al-Thlatha.
This film unit is estimated to have produced around 40,000 films, according to testimonies from some of its workers. It also issued a weekly newsreel distributed to commercial cinemas to be screened during intermissions.
Elsewhere outside the city of Khartoum, there was a skilled photographer called Rashid Mahdi who grew up in a bustling industrial town echoing with the sounds of trains along the banks of the Atbara River. He studied carpentry at the School of Crafts in Omdurman and joined the Sudan Railways workshops in 1949. However, he soon rebelled against the path he was following and turned to the art of photography. He purchased an "Almonite" camera from a Greek photographer and began capturing images of the city's historic landmarks.
In the early 1950s, he established the first photographic studio and started importing paper and film to set up his own lab. He corresponded with Kodak in London and visited its branch in Egypt in 1957. He organized photography exhibitions and contributed to the making of Sudan’s first feature-length narrative film, Hopes and Dreams (1970), directed by Ibrahim Malasi. This marked the beginning of a new era for Sudanese cinema, which would soon witness the emergence of a second generation of filmmakers.
This new generation, having studied at various film institutes and schools worldwide—including in Germany, Cyprus, Egypt, the United States, and Moscow—excelled in producing Sudanese films that carried significant messages. Their works ranged from narrative to documentary films, often addressing themes and stories closely tied to the daily and historical concerns of the Sudanese people.
There was also a growing interest in showcasing Sudan's cultural diversity and documenting rare cultural practices and heritage stories. For instance, Hussein Sharif explored these themes in his film Jad‘ al-Nar (1973), while the poet and director Ali Abdel-Gayoum captured the renowned women’s ritual Zar in 1988 and similarly, the film Tajouj (1980) by Jadallah Jubara.
The film Jad‘ al-Nar focused on introducing the tribes of the southern Blue Nile region of Sudan. These tribes worshiped fire and the sun in ancient times and have distinct rituals during harvest celebrations, including dances, festivals, and various other practices as part of a larger tradition known as Jad‘ al-Nar (Throwing Fire). This tradition continues to be practiced every rainy season to this day.
Hussein Sharif also collaborated with Ateyyat El Abnoudy in directing the film Diaries in Exile, produced in 1993 by the Sudanese Organization for Human Rights. The film documented the stories of displacement experienced by individuals and groups who shared their personal testimonies of the period following the coup of the Islamic National Front in Sudan in 1989. This era witnessed massive emigration of Sudanese people to various parts of the world, as Sudan became an unwelcoming place for its citizens—a situation echoed today during the war that began on April 15, 2023. At the time of the film's production, the majority of Sudanese migrants had relocated to Egypt, where the film was shot. The number of Sudanese refugees in Egypt during that period reached approximately three million.
The artistic, intellectual, and social messages in Sudanese cinema developed significantly with the subsequent generation, taking on advanced philosophical and aesthetic dimensions. This evolution is evident in the works of Ibrahim Shaddad, Suleiman Mohamed Ibrahim, and Al-Tayyib Mahdi. Ibrahim Shaddad's films, particularly Insan (Human) in 1994, consistently addressed existential and philosophical issues. This film delved into the crisis caused by the September Laws of 1983, enacted by the dictatorship of Jafar Nimeiri. Through a simple narrative style, it documented the injustices and crimes associated with these laws, such as amputations and other harsh punishments, and their devastating impact on the lives of ordinary people.
Al-Tayyib Mahdi explored a similar theme in Al-Dhareeh (The Shrine) in 1977, offering a different perspective. In a prescient critique, he highlighted the dangers of political Islam in Sudan and the exploitation of religion to deceive society.
In another notable work, Barakat al-Sheikh, the feature film directed by Abbadi Mahjoub and Jadallah Jubara, tells the story of a charlatan who manipulates the minds of simple villagers by claiming supernatural abilities. The film demonstrates how religion can be exploited in a society deprived of education and knowledge, leading to devastating consequences.
The film Al-Mahatta (The Station), released in 1989, tackled the problems of capitalist development and the neglect of human needs in areas of economic abundance. Through highly contrasting visual scenes, it portrayed hundreds of trucks loaded with cash crops for export in an agricultural city like Gadarif, juxtaposed with a poor family standing on the roadside with a sick person carried on the back of a donkey, waiting for transportation to the nearest hospital in the city.
Artwork designed by Hind Abdelbagi
