Beats of the Antonov
Synopsis
Sudan is doing everything it can to rid itself of the rebel forces in the Blue Nile area and the Nuba Mountains; this includes obliterating their base. Their base is the villagers who have been forced to gather in mountain hideouts or refugee camps. The bombings continue but so does the resistance, led by the rebel forces. Director, hajooj kuka was on the ground filming for over eighteen months, creating a film that traverses through the lives of displaced people who lost everything. Yet, instead of finding a devastated and defeated people we find a vibrant culture, people who have found new purpose and energy in the face of conflict. They responsd to the violence with singing, dancing, laughter and marvelous music that comes from the root of their culture. Through this journey we become aware of the Sudanese conflict that stems from a war on identity.
Festivals
Carthage Film Festival, Tunis, 2014
Dubai International Film Festival, Dubai, 2014
Göteborg Film Festival, Sweden, 2015
FESPACO, Burkina Faso, 2015
International Film Festival and Forum on Human Rights, Geneva 2015
Human Rights Watch London Film Festival, UK, 2015
Flatpack Film Festival, Birmingham, UK, 2015
Panama IFF, Panama, 2015
BAFICI, Buenos Aires, Argentina, 2015
Film Theatre Kriterion, Amsterdam, 2015
AfryKamera, Warsaw, Poland, 2015
San Francisco Int. Film Festival, USA, 2015
Fisahara (Western Sahara IFF), Dakhla Refugee Camp, Algeria, 2015
Helsinki African Film Festival, Finland, 2015
Human Rights Nights Film Festival, Bologna, Italy, 2015
Seattle Int. Film Festival, USA, 2015
Sydney International Film Festival, Australia, 2015
Human Rights Watch New York Film Festival, USA, 2015 Ciné Droit Libre, Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso, 2015
Arab Film Festival Amman, Jordan, 2015
New Zealand International Film Festival, Auckland, 2015
Aux Ecrans Noirs, Yaounde, Cameroon, 2015
Africajarc, Cajarc, France, 2015 Stronger Than Fiction, Canaberra, Australia, 2015
URKULT, Nämforsen, Sweden, 2015 Cinema Afrique, Lausannes, Switzerland, 2015
Brigham Young University, USA, 2015
Cambridge African Film Festival, UK, 2015
Berklee Learning Center, USA, 2015
frica in Motion, UK, 2015 Kaohsiung Film Festival, Taiwan, 2015
Film Africa, UK, 2015
Mizna's Twin Cities Arab Film Fest, USA, 2015
Escales Documentaires de Libreville, Gabon, 2015
Festival des Cinémas d'Afrique du Pays d'Apt, France, 2015 Meisei University, Japan, 2015
Arab League Human Rights Committee, Egypt, 2015 Music Freedom Day, Sweden 2016
Word Festival (woordfees), South Africa 2016
F.A.M.e, France 2016
Africa FilmFestival Leuven, Belgium 2016
RapidLion – The International South African Film Festival, South Africa 2016
AFI (American Film Institute), USA 2016
North Kohala Public Library (Kapaau, HI) -2pm, USA 2016
Sudanese Community, Oman 2016
Human Rights FF, Australia 2016
Something Somewhere FF, Australia 2016
Awards
Winner of the People’s Choice Documentary Award, TIFF, Canada, 2014
Winner of the Best Feature Documentary Award, Cordoba African Film Festival, Spain, 2015
Winner of the Audience Award for Feature Documentary, Angers African Film Festival, France, 2015
Winner of the Main Jury Prize for Feature Documentary, Angers African Film Festival, France, 2015
Winner of the Grand Nile Prize for Best Documentary, Luxor African Film Festival, Egypt, 2015
Winner of the Best Documentary Award, Durban International Film Festival, South Africa, 2015
Winner of the Arterial Network’s Artwatch Africa Award for Freedom of Expression, Durban International Film Festival, South Africa, 2015
Winner of the Main Jury Prize for Feature Documentary) Encounters Documentary Film Festival, South Africa, 2015