3 May 2024

English Documentaries on the Sudans You Should Watch

When it comes to Sudan or South Sudan, there are ample documentaries produced by Sudanese and non-Sudanese filmmakers. 

The Sudans have been at the center of political unrest and conflict for decades, making them a topic of interest for many documentary filmmakers. While there are numerous documentaries available, some stand out as must-watch films that provide insight into the complexities of life in these two countries, read also $40 Million Lawsuit Filed by Teacher Shot by 6-Year-Old Student US Global News. One such film is “The Devil Came on Horseback,” which follows former U.S. Marine Brian Steidle as he documents the genocide in Darfur, Sudan. The film provides a firsthand account of the atrocities being committed and sheds light on how international forces were failing to intervene. Another powerful film is “Beats of the Antonov,” which explores how music has become a tool for survival in war-torn areas of both Sudan and South Sudan. Through interviews with musicians and their communities, viewers gain an understanding of how music has helped unite people across divides created by conflict.

Many of documentaries on Sudan or South Sudan, surround recurring themes of civil conflicts, war, poverty, displacement and immigration. But at the same time, tell stories of finding peace, success and happiness whether in Sudan or elsewhere.

Here are a few documentaries on Sudan and South Sudan you should watch:

Lost Boys of Sudan (2003)

Lost Boys of Sudan is an Emmy-nominated feature-length documentary that follows two young Dinka refugees, Peter Dut and Santino Chuor, through their journey to a new life in America. Orphaned as young boys in Sudanese Civil War (1955 – 1972 and 1983 – 2005), one of Africa’s longest civil wars, Peter and Santino survived lion attacks and militia gunfire to reach a refugee camp in Kenya along with thousands of other children. From there, remarkably, they were chosen to come to America. Safe at last from physical danger and hunger, a world away from home, they find themselves confronted with the abundance and alienation of contemporary American suburbia.

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Watch the trailer here:

Watch the full documentary here.

All About Darfur (2006)

In All About Darfur, Sudanese filmmaker Taghreed Elsanhouri documents a Sudanese immigrant to the UK who returns to Darfur, Sudan to understand why the seemingly racially harmonious country of her memories has become the scene of one of the worst instances of ethnic cleansing in recent history.

See the trailer here:

All About Darfur from California Newsreel on Vimeo.

God Grew Tired of Us (2006)

In this documentary film, light is shed on ordeals of the Lost Boys of Sudan, a group of about 25,000 young Southern Sudanese men who have fled civil war between southern and northern Sudan in the 1980s. Filmmaker Christopher Quinn follows four of the Lost Boys of Sudan, as they try to live with the horrors of the war while adjusting to their new lives in the United States.

See the full documentary here:

Darfur Now (2007)

Written and Directed by American filmmaker Ted Braun, Darfur Now is a documentary that examines the genocide in Sudan’s western region of Darfur. Darfur Now was nominated for best documentary of 2007 by the National Board of Review and The Broadcast Critics Association, and went on to win the NAACP Image Award for best documentary of the year. The film features Hilary Clinton, John McCain, George Clooney, Don Cheadle and more.

See the trailer here:

Facing Sudan (2007)

Over the last 20 years, millions have died in Sudan, devastated by civil wars in the south and genocide in Darfur. Facing Sudan is the story of ordinary individuals including a custodian, a housewife, a paediatrician, and a grandmother, moved into action by the events in Sudan. It is the story of suffering, death, and a refugee crisis but also a story of strength, courage and hope.

See the trailer here:

Sudan: History of a Broken Land (2011)

Produced by Al Jazeera English in 2011, the documentary maps the turbulent history of a country, which at the time, was on the verge of a momentous decision. Sudan was preparing for the referendum where the people of South Sudan voted to secede from the North. The documentary includes some of Sudan’s most known politicians and public figures from both Sudans.

See the full documentary here:

Our Beloved Sudan (2012)

Sudanese filmmaker Taghreed Elsanhouri explores Sudan’s troubled history and demonstrates how national issues can impact people’s everyday lives. Telling the story of the Sudanese nation with the countdown to a referendum that led to the secession of South Sudan, Elsanhouri asks how did the country get here to the point where we must part and how can we make peace with this parting.

Learn more here: Our Beloved Sudan on Facebook

Beats of Antonov (2014)

Directed and written by Sudanese filmmaker Hajooj Kuka, Beats of Antonov tells the story of the people of the Blue Nile and Nuba Mountains in Sudan, showing how they deal with civil war. Traditionally music has always been part of daily life in these areas, but now, it has a new role in a society challenge by war.

See the trailer here:

We Come As Friends (2014)

Directed by Austrian filmmaker Hubert, the award-winning documentary examines how colonialism, war and business contribute to the exploitation of war-ravaged South Sudan as it claims independence from Sudan and its then Sudanese President Omar Al Bashir. In 2014-15, We Come As Friends received several awards at various international film festival including Sundance International Festival and Berlin International Film Festival.

See the trailer here:

We Were Rebels (2014)

We Were Rebels tells the story of Agel, a former child soldier who returns home to help build South Sudan – the youngest country in the world. Two years after gaining its independence, Agel is fighting as a soldier once again. As captain of the national basketball team of South Sudan, Agel coaches the team through their very first international match against Uganda. The conflicts within the team bear a striking resemblance to the political problems festering across the country. An injury ends up forcing Agel to leave the basketball team, and he goes on to form an NGO that provides the country’s most remote areas with clean drinking water. As a child soldier, Agel had to kill and also lost almost all of his male relatives. Later, he managed to flee via Kenya to Australia, where he became a professional basketball player and returned to South Sudan a free man.

See the trailer here:

For more information, click here.

Sudan’s Forgotten Films (2017)

Produced by filmmakers Suhaib Gasmelbari and Katharina Von Schroeder for Al Jazeera English’s flagship programme, Witness, in 2017, Sudan’s Forgotten Films, which follows the journey of two men as they attempt to save Sudan’s film archive of 13,000 films – one of the biggest in Africa – was received with overwhelming acclaim upon release in the African country and sparked renewed interesting in rescuing the country’s cultural heritage. The film won the prestigious Arts and Culture Story of the Year Award at the Foreign Press Association Media Awards ceremony in London on 26 November 2018.

See the full documentary here:

Khartoum Offside (2019)

Written and directed by Sudanese filmmaker Marwa Zein, Khartoum Offside is an upcoming documentary following the story of a group of young ladies in Khartoum are determined to play professional football. Prepared to defy the ban imposed by Sudan’s former government, they are battling to get officially recognised as Sudan’s National Woman’s team. Through the intimate portrait of these women over a number of years, the documentary follows their moments of hope and deception. Despite the National Football Federation getting FIFA funds earmarked for the women’s teams, this team continues to be marginalised. However, there is a new spark of hope when the elections within the federation could mean real change of the entire system.

See the trailer here:

For more information, click here.

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  • Taghreed Elsanhouri
    21 October 2019 at 10:44 pm - Reply

    It’s so exciting to see Sudanese filmmakers and films reach international
    Platforms! Congratulations to Hajooj, Marwa, Amjad. But, why have you omitted Our Beloved Sudan, the only film on the partition of Sudan by a Sudanese filmmaker? Also, All about Darfur, which was made under a heavily constrained media environment but nevertheless privileged the voices of ordinary Sudanese people from tea ladies to university professors. Both these films were personal efforts stemming from a commitment to pluralising the authorship and representations from and about Sudan.