aKasha
+Sudan in Focus
Friday, 9/27
11:00 a.m.
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aKasha
أكاشا
hajooj kuka
Narrative feature
78 mins | 2018
Sudan, South Africa, Qatar, Germany
Arabic with English subtitles
Minnesota premiere
Adnan is a Sudanese revolutionary who is considered a war hero. His love for his AK-47 rifle is equalled only by his feelings for Lina, his long-suffering sweetheart. When Adnan is late to return to his military unit after his leave, army commander Blues launches “a kasha”: the rounding up and arresting of truant soldiers. Adnan is caught off-guard and makes a run for it with pacifist Absi. The two unlikely friends plot ways to reunite Adnan with his gun—and with Lina—while avoiding their fellow soldiers. Through a series of wry and humorous incidents over twenty-four hours, the films explores life and ideology in rebel-held areas of Sudan.
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Festivals and Awards:
Venice International Film Festival, Italy, 2018
Toronto International Film Festival, Canada, 2018
BFI London Film Festival, UK, 2018
Cape Town International Film Market and Festival, South Africa, 2018
hajooj kuka is a filmmaker from Sudan. hajooj’s 2014 feature documentary, Beats of the Antonov, premiered at the 2014 Toronto International Film Festival and won the People’s Choice Documentary award. The film has been broadcast on PBS’s POV and has screened at over 60 festivals, including Mizna’s 2015 Twin Cities Arab Film Festival, and won 7 international awards. hajooj also trains and works with young filmmakers across Sudan.
*****
View from Above
Hiwa K
Short
13 mins / 2017
Iraqi Kurdistan
English
In 1991, a division was created between Northern Iraq (Kurdistan) and the rest of Iraq. The UN considers Kurdistan a safe zone. To qualify as a refugee, one must prove that they are leaving an unsafe zone. The film follows “M” as he navigates the Kafka-esqu international asylum processes that has the power to determine his fate.
Festivals and Awards:
International Film Festival Rotterdam, Netherlands, 2018
Images Festival, Canada, 2018
documenta 14 Art Exhibition, Germany, 2017
Hiwa K was born in Iraqi Kurdistan in 1975. His sculptures, videos, and performances slyly weave together anecdotes from friends and family with his biography. As a Kurdish Iraqi and immigrant to Germany, he draws from personal memories to tell stories of ongoing crises: war, migration, and the effects of neoliberalism and colonialism. Largely self-taught, his multidisciplinary approach draws upon his peer-to-peer education in Iraq and his musical training under the Flamenco master, Paco Peña.
