A Handful of Dates

Hashim Hassan
Sudan, 2019, 12 min.

In Arabic with English subtitles.
This film is family friendly.

In a mythical village between the desert and the Nile, a young boy enjoys an idyllic childhood, taking pleasure in the fertile fruits of the land and basking by the river. But the boy's precious world begins to unravel when he learns the disturbing truth behind his family's fortune, and the harsh reality of a certain farmer's inevitable demise.

Director's Statement

We are proud to present this short film as a social and cultural project. The cultural effects of the film are present in the content of the story, as it poignantly reflects Sudanese culture, heritage, traditions, history, and literature. As a social project, the aim will be to enrich and enhance the artistic and professional capacities of aspiring artists in Sudan as well as to a worldwide audience - hopefully by taking the film to international film festivals and cultural events, we have a chance to engage in creative exchange and cultural relations with global communities that may otherwise not know about the authentic culture of Sudan. This is our love letter to a country and a people now undergoing a revolutionary shift in consciousness and identity - ideas that we hope storytelling plays a significant role in expressing.

Category: Short, Drama.
Themes: Africa, Culture, Community, Family, World Cinema.