Cotton queen
Suzannah Mirghani
In a cotton-farming village in Sudan, 15-year-old NAFISA has two choices: accept an arranged marriage or be circumcised. Her final choice will change the village forever.
In a cotton-farming village in Sudan, 15-year-old NAFISA lives a simple life, picking cotton with her friends, falling in love with a village boy, and learning from her grandmother AL-SIT, the formidable village matriarch and matchmaker. The arrival of NADIR, a young Sudanese businessman from abroad, threatens to change their way of life with the latest cotton-farming technology. For economic reasons, Nafisa’s parents are excited to arrange her marriage to Nadir, but Al-Sit, following village tradition, plans to circumcise the teenager and marry her off to an old man. Awakening to her womanhood, Nafisa comes to understand that her future is not her own. Torn between the demands of her family and her emerging desire for independence, Nafisa is forced to negotiate between modernity and tradition in a defiant drive for personal choice. Neither she nor her village will ever be the same again.
Director’s biography: Suzannah Mirghani / IMDb
SUZANNAH MIRGHANI is a writer, researcher, and independent filmmaker. She is a media studies and museum studies graduate and publishes creative and scholarly work on a variety of cultural issues. Mixed race Sudanese and Russian, she is most interested in stories that examine the complexity of identity. Suzannah is the writer, director, and producer of AL-SIT (2020), which won several awards, including the Grand Prix at the 2021 Tampere Film Festival (Academy Award qualifying); the Canal+ Award at the 2021 Clermont-Ferrand Film Festival; and the Jury Award at 2021 Busan Short Film Festival.
Where are we at?
Total estimated budget: 500.000 €
Finances pending: 500,000 €
Financing in place: 0
Production timeline
December 2022
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Director’s statement
COTTON QUEEN is the story of a young Sudanese girl making her own choices. Growing up in Sudan, I watched teenagers like Nafisa obey their grandmothers, who made important decisions on their behalf, including when to be circumcised and who to marry. I see my 15-year-old protagonist as a symbol of the new Sudan. In 2019, the people of Sudan revolted. The Islamist-military regime of 30 years collapsed and was replaced by civilian rule. One of the first new laws issued was a ban on female circumcision (female genital mutilation or FGM). This film is my contribution to both reviving Sudanese cinema and to upholding women’s rights.I see my film as a good way of mediating between a new law and an ancient tradition. Such customs will not change overnight, but this film can be part of a broader conversation on the topic.
Producer’s statement
This film highlights how Sudanese girls must navigate authority in all its forms, whether patriarchal or matriarchal—from the specter of colonialism, to familial authoritarianism, to the needs of contemporary capitalism. This film touches on broad social and political issues, from feminism to colonialism to neoliberalism. Filmmaking in Sudan is finally flourishing after decades of government prohibition. After the country went through a revolution in 2019, filmmaking has gained respect and enthusiasm from within the country. People now see storytelling as a real possibility for social change. COTTON QUEEN is based on my proof of concept” short film AL-SIT (2020), which premiered internationally at the 2021 Clermont-Ferrand Short Film Festival, winning the Canal+ Award and won the Grand Prix at the Tampere Film Festival 2021. This is great news for Sudanese cinema and proves that there is international interest in knowing more about Sudanese culture.
Email: suzannahmirghani@gmail.com