Specters of Alhoot(2023)

Sudan, Arabic - 90 min

Director

Ahmad Mahmoud

Color

Length

90 min

Language

Arabic

Producer

Mohammed Alomda

INFORMATION

Mohammedalomda88@gmail.com

Specters of Alhoot

Sudan

LogLine

Three teenagers and aspiring rappers must flee military bootcamp when legendary singer Mahmoud Abdelaziz invites them to perform with him in Khartoum in 1998.

Synopsis

Set against the backdrop of the Sudanese civil war in 1998, Specters of Alhoot is the coming of age story of three friends and high school students who must flee military bootcamp when legendary singer Mahmoud Abdelaziz invites them to perform with him. ABDO, ALI, and SALAH are brought together by a strong desire to stand out, expressed in the way they dress, the way they talk and especially in the music they embrace. They are aspiring rappers. On the last day of high school, they set off to attend a secret party at the American Club in Khartoum as a final goodbye before they enlist for mandatory military training. But the Morality Police raid the party and they spend the night in a cell with Mahmoud Abdelaziz, who invites them to perform with him at his upcoming concert on Eid holiday. At the military camp, together with hundreds of other high school graduates who come from the multitude of ethnicities and cultures that make up Sudan. This is their home for the next forty days. They take advantage of the lax supervision on weekends and sneak out of the camp to record their first rap song and surprisingly get an opportunity to perform it in front of a real crowd at a university campus. But they get caught and sent back to the camp, where a mutiny breaks out and the officers cancel Eid holiday leave for everyone. The student conscripts plot for a mass escape, and on the morning of April 2nd, 1998, the plan commences.

Ahmad Mahmoud

Director

Director’s Statement

My debut feature film, "Specters of Alhoot," title pays homage to Mahmoud Abdelaziz, known fondly as "Alhoot," a symbol of hope in 1990s Sudan. This story unfolds through the eyes of three young rebels during the Civil War, inspired by the tragic Al-Eylafoon Camp Massacre of 1998. The story's personal connection stems from my own survival of a 2019 Sudanese revolution massacre. As an immigrant child I witnessed my parents' yearning for home, my father's use of humor to cope with the war, and my mother's lament for lost youth drive me to seek hope amidst tragedy. A return to Sudan in my teenage years led me from rapper to filmmaker, both driven by the same passion. Hip Hop is central to both my upbringing and my film. I draw influence from Alfonso Cuaron's storytelling and Edgar Wright's comedic styles. I will cast young non-actors from TikTok, embodying a global spirit. The soundtrack will feature Sudanese Hip Hop by my peers. With support from the Red Sea Fund, Realness Institute, Dahshur's Workshop, and recognition from Beirut Cinema Platform, Durban Film Mart, and CineGouna 2023, My film is poised for production in late 2024. We are actively pursuing financing and international producers to realize this powerful project. Despite the turmoil and the distance from my homeland caused by the war that erupted in April 2023., it will not hinder the development of my film. In fact, it has heightened the significance of my story, which stands as a resolute anti-war testament.

Mohammed Alomda

Producer

Producer’s Note

I met Ahmad in 2008 in a filmmaking workshop by Goethe Institute, we were then looking forward to learning about cinema. At that time, the Islamic State regime was at its maximum power. There was no space for arts and freedoms, artistic life at that time was almost underground. Ahmed told me about his first feature film project several years ago and since then it has not left my mind. This film has a special connection to me as a person from a generation who lived the era of this film. We at Station Films are very excited about this project, for its artistic and cultural impact that it will create on the Sudanese conscience. We also see that Ahmed Mahmoud is one of the most important directors concerned with social issues that will make this movie one of the most important Sudanese films ever, also we see the element of Sudanese music as an essential part of the film gives it another aesthetic dimension. We have already started the film project by developing the film through the Beirut Cinema Platform, Durban FilmMart, and Realness Residency. All these opportunities will give the project a lot of artistic input until it is ready for shooting. We see this film is very important in this historical period that Sudan is going through, as a war broke down in Sudan on 15 of April 2023. The events of the film, inspired by the reality of the Islamic regime, which led the country to this ongoing war that has caused death and displacement of millions. 

Producer’s Filmography

Station Films is a Sudanese film production company founded in 2018 by Amjad Abu Alala and Mohamed Alomda. The aim of the company is to revive the Sudanese cinema industry by producing high quality films through international collaborations and co- productions. The company kicked off by co-producing the feature narrative film “You Will Die at Twenty” with European and regional co-producers. The project received funds from reputable film funds and institutions (CNC, DFI, Sorfund, ARRI). It is Sudan’s first ever entry to the Best International Film category for the 93rd Academy Awards. Station Films has co-produced “Captains of Zaatari” by Egyptian director Ali El Arabi, which premiered in Sundance, and Yamni Film “The Burdens” by Amr Gamal was part of Berlinale 2023 Panorama Competition, our last feature film “Goodbye Julia” by Mohamed Kordofani won Freedom prize at Cannes Film Festival - Un certain Regards competition 2023.