00:00:00: Here I am with Susanna Mergani to talk about her feature film debut Cotton Queen.

00:00:04: Hi, Susanna!

00:00:05: Hello.

00:00:06: Yeah, you just presented your film here at the Arabic Film Festival in Berlin?

00:00:11: How do you feel that your film is traveling all around the world because you premiered it last year at Venice?

00:00:16: Unfortunately I couldn't see a dare!

00:00:18: Really

00:00:19: happy... The film is making its rounds all over the world especially happy that it's coming here to Germany Because my main producer is Caroline Daub is German.

00:00:30: We had Munich premiere yesterday which was beautiful great theater, we had a great audience response.

00:00:37: We have the very big Sudanese audience who came as well including a German audience and it was lovely sunny day!

00:00:43: So

00:00:43: your film is first feature fiction that's coming from Sudan written and directed by our woman.

00:00:48: how does this feel for you?

00:00:50: as a female director to break into this male-dominated industry.

00:00:53: It's,

00:00:54: you know it's surreal.

00:00:55: in Sudan our film industry is not even that developed so even men don't have that many films.

00:01:02: I think there are something like ten fiction feature films In the history of Sudanese filmmaking.

00:01:06: So Even The Volume Of Production Is Not That Much.

00:01:09: But i'm happy To advance the field and work in cinema As A Woman Because We Don't Have The Field To Begin With.

00:01:17: Would

00:01:17: You Say That Sudanese Film Industry industry is quite patriarchal structure, which probably could be said about many film industry aspects like I'm just going to go to Cannes and it's a very patriarchal festival.

00:01:29: And so its not necessarily different here in central Europe.

00:01:33: So of course that is an issue with any industry.

00:01:35: In any industry.

00:01:40: we don't actually have what you can call the film industry.

00:01:43: You know there isn't something that regularly produces films.

00:01:45: It's individual filmmakers who make their own films But even still, it's weighted towards men.

00:01:51: And

00:01:51: of course there is the war and a civil war that most people associate with Sudan.

00:01:56: How much did that influence film?

00:01:58: Because far as I'm aware It had direct impact on production As it happened

00:02:02: All right.

00:02:03: So we have a war That began in twenty-twenty three.

00:02:08: The year was supposed to see if We can actually make films.

00:02:12: Sudan regularly goes through conflict so it impacted us because We couldn't safely mix the film in Sudan, actually we couldn't make this in Sudan no matter what.

00:02:21: So we moved production to Egypt and ended up shooting it because also actors all became refugees or they had to flee Sudan.

00:02:31: so most of them were in Egypt.

00:02:32: We took a film for that.

00:02:34: The story

00:02:34: itself is both contemporary but deeply connected with colonial past.

00:02:39: How much did you learn when you grew about this colonial past?

00:02:44: how did you study?

00:02:47: Did the idea grow to make a film that incorporates

00:02:49: it?

00:02:50: And Sudan colonialism is everywhere.

00:02:52: you can see it visually.

00:02:53: It's bridges, its buildings, its roads... You know about the British past but don't personally as a child right?

00:03:03: When I was older that i started reading and researching for the film not just in general to my own interest finding out how much Sudan is shaped by British colonial interests including the cotton industry which was built by the British.

00:03:17: Normally Sudanese farmers have very personal relationship with and it's not an industry.

00:03:22: They grow for themselves, they grow to make their own clothes... It is a cash crop!

00:03:27: And then of course the Brits came in turned everything into an industry.

00:03:30: How real?

00:03:31: Is that what we see on film?

00:03:32: The aspect of British also having certain relationships or direct battles with local population.

00:03:39: We have this figure This elderly woman are much matriarch called Elsie.

00:03:43: She is also main character from the short film.

00:03:45: you based your movie On reliable narrative.

00:03:51: Some aspects that she tells of herself as being a hero might not be true is said.

00:03:56: also I think with Sudanese population, there's an elderly generation who would like to see themselves as resistance fighters but maybe wasn't?

00:04:14: to find out the truth.

00:04:21: So they will always give you the best version of themselves and I think Elsit has taken that a step further because she lived through British colonialism, so she is telling Nefisa –the protagonist–that she single-handedly saved the village from Britain.

00:04:35: And who's to deny this?

00:04:37: Is

00:04:37: it rare for an LLE woman to hold that much authority as we see in the film?

00:04:43: Sudan is very complex situation very matriarchal in.

00:04:51: So normally, the grandmothers are actually people who control a household.

00:04:56: They control who gets married when they get married and whom to marry including men.

00:05:00: They have the say about who gets marriage to them so there is lot of power in their households.

00:05:05: I thought it was interesting that we take this power beyond.

00:05:08: In Sudan also we have a history of queens not just kings going back to ancient Sudan Going back to the kingdoms of Kush.

00:05:15: The queen ruled with her husbands or sons.

00:05:18: There's a history And so it's very complicated.

00:05:21: So you couldn't say that is a hundred percent patriarchal society, but at least it is in public not in private.

00:05:26: an important

00:05:27: aspect of the film was also the influence or Westernized members off to population who maybe are born and Sudan or have Sudanese family or roots.

00:05:36: back then they had business in the West In the US and Europe and come Back To Sudan with capitalistic concepts and basically incorporate A new form of imperialism.

00:05:46: It kind Of as if colonialism would Come back But in The Shape own population.

00:05:50: And this is happening a lot.

00:05:51: and we're seeing this a lot because there's huge Sudanese diaspora, and they learn the ways of the colonizer.

00:06:06: But now, I think everyone is learning neoliberal exploitation And that's not necessarily a colonial concept but it is a neocolonial concept about just how to go into new virgin land and extract as much possible even if comes with a Sudanese face.

00:06:22: It still has the background on British Colonies In

00:06:25: this film especially in the form of genetically manipulated cotton crops.

00:06:29: Is there actually anything like that?

00:06:31: Yes very much so.

00:06:33: I was doing my research for this film.

00:06:34: I was actually quite shocked to learn about how much the Sudanese cotton farming has changed.

00:06:40: We used to have original Sudanese Cotton that were almost entirely replaced by genetically modified seeds That come from China, India and Brazil And they're brought outside companies.

00:06:52: The farmers are forced to buy seed from them.

00:06:55: They turn into a very dependent relationship on a farm.

00:06:58: It's quite sad!

00:06:59: And quality is worse.

00:07:00: So quantity is more.

00:07:02: It's

00:07:03: also another aspect about genetically manipulated plans.

00:07:06: They're usually supposed to be stronger, but

00:07:10: then they turn

00:07:20: out larger ensemble of characters.

00:07:33: to tell us a little bit about the casting process and how you found your character, especially Alcide.

00:07:37: I was most impressed really by her!

00:07:39: We don't have a pool of actors.

00:07:41: we don't Have a database that You can just go And pick Your Actors.

00:07:44: We had To have open calls Open auditions.

00:07:47: Most Of The People Who Came To Audition Had No Acting Experience whatsoever.

00:07:52: They Were Just Interested In The Idea of Cinema.

00:07:54: For the male roles...we had hundred over hundreds of men for each role.

00:07:59: For the girl, Fenefisa we had five candidates only.

00:08:03: in The Hall Of Sudan We have five girls who came to audition.

00:08:06: Mihaad Mojtada Who got the role and end was by far just spectacular.

00:08:11: She was the best but it already...the number shows you how Sudanese Girls don't Have the opportunity or are not given Opportunity To act..to be In cinema unless they have the support of their family.

00:08:23: So these Five girls Came with Their fathers Or Their Mothers somebody who is supporting this future for them.

00:08:29: For Elsit, she's a theatre actor so she doesn't normally act in cinema.

00:08:34: So she does theater.

00:08:35: but of course acting for theater and acting per screen are two very different things.

00:08:39: We had the whole relearning process about how to bring everything down to emotional boiling point not physicality.

00:08:49: But yeah I think that she did great job as well.

00:08:51: Yeah

00:08:51: it was wonderful cast and performance.

00:08:54: just only five girls came to even audition.

00:08:56: Is acting still seen as something that's really a proper job?

00:09:00: Also on the financial level, often parents- Even today in Central Europe will tell you if you like acting fine but get a proper exam!

00:09:08: Exactly.

00:09:08: and now it is exactly this.

00:09:10: so normally for emails its not good job.

00:09:14: I wouldn't say shameful But people would be.

00:09:17: why are they doing this?

00:09:18: It doesn't make sense because there is no industry.

00:09:20: People don't have a role model.

00:09:23: You can look at them a millionaire.

00:09:25: now it doesn't happen.

00:09:26: It's something that is not encouraged and for girls especially, its' something that they consider shameful.

00:09:32: Mehad Murtada tells the story.

00:09:34: actually after we shot The Proof of Concept After We Shot They said she would have to go home sometimes at four

00:09:39: A.M.,

00:09:39: after shoot or three A.m.. Then the neighbors started talking.

00:09:43: The neighbors in her neighborhood say oh this girl was coming back up at four AM.

00:09:47: where are you going?

00:09:47: So turns into something else really quite innocent becomes problem for community.

00:09:53: What we need to do is, you know make sure all the community is on board.

00:09:57: This is why when I make my films i don't just take a character or person... ...I take their family.

00:10:02: so Mihaad's father is in the film El Sitz' daughter and granddaughter are in the movie.

00:10:08: So I like that.

00:10:09: everyone of them is involved with filmmaking not only individually

00:10:13: Rumors developing about young actors coming home late.

00:10:16: We have similar story actually in this film.

00:10:19: was it inspired by these events?

00:10:23: Definitely, exactly because I remember when Mehad told me the story.

00:10:42: Thank you for noticing.

00:10:43: Did the script in general change a lot?

00:10:46: Was there a lot of improvisation or was it basically stable storyline?

00:10:51: There were some changes, so when I wrote this script the way that I would say it.

00:10:57: Old women, they speak a completely different way.

00:10:59: They use different words and have their own kind of not language but their own way of speaking.

00:11:04: so i made sure people were free to say whatever however wanted as long as the sense came across.

00:11:10: And then in edit things change all the time.

00:11:12: Why you are shooting this film?

00:11:15: It was interrupted by the war.

00:11:17: You had moved production.

00:11:18: How long did actually take how hard on budget because budget is always problem for every production.

00:11:25: It was extremely difficult, not just hard on the budget.

00:11:27: Harder than the soul or our psychology.

00:11:30: it's very... You know taking a film that is supposed to be based in Sudan and not only based in the earth of Sudan but also in the actual community of Sudan To completely extract this and put it into Egypt.

00:11:42: We built the sets in Egypt.

00:11:44: People who don't know we did that.

00:11:46: Don't think they are Sudanese people including Sudanese But really according to the specifications of Sudanese arms.

00:11:54: And of course the budget went up two, three times.

00:11:56: In Sudan it's not that expensive tissue.

00:11:59: so yes budget-wise you would have to speak with a German producer about how she handled this.

00:12:05: but of course psychology and emotional distress I think was really for me more difficult to handle.

00:12:11: You got your film into Venice Film Festival which is one of the most prestigious in world.

00:12:15: now has an international release.

00:12:17: How hard will you say is it for Sudan or different countries from Africa?

00:12:23: I go a lot to festivals and see very few productions that are from any African nation.

00:12:30: So it's the whole continent has less films than let say Italy or France, or Germany And really says alot It

00:12:37: really does.

00:12:39: i'm so pleased we had our premiere in Venice.

00:12:42: its always been a dream!

00:12:53: We screened at Critics Week, hoping that they saw something politically interesting about a film.

00:12:58: What

00:12:58: would you hope will change in the international cinematic sphere?

00:13:01: Both festival and regular cinematic releases to allow in general African cinema from different countries to be represented in the same diversity than cinema from let's say Europe?

00:13:13: I think it also depends on their diversity of selecting committee.

00:13:17: Also if people are only looking for one kind story That is what we're going get more diverse group of people who are actually making the selections, then I think we will have more room to include diversity.

00:13:28: Do

00:13:28: you already have a new film project that your working on?

00:13:31: Yes, I am writing and taking it easily.

00:13:34: I'm writing...I don't know where its going exactly right now but i-i'm working.

00:13:37: my next feature If audience could take one thing away from your film what would you hope it be?

00:13:42: To support sydney's girls..to support their struggles And make sure that Sudan is highlighted because y'know were going through horrible death devastating war right now.

00:13:52: That's very much neglected in the media, a lot of people still don't know that there is a war happening.

00:13:58: so just to make sure it highlights for

00:14:00: them.".

00:14:00: Thank you so much for this interview and Cotton Queen is now starting in German cinema So Make Sure To See

00:14:09: It!