Cotton Queen in Schwerin: A Strong Film Debut about Courage and Self-determination
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Between cotton fields and self-determination: Cotton Queen in Schwerin
A Sudanese cotton village, the stories of a strong grandmother, and a girl at a turning point in her life: Suzannah Mirghani's feature film Cotton Queen takes you on October 15, 2026, into a world shaped by tradition, colonial memories, and the desire for change. The screening in the auditorium of the Volkshochschule Schwerin is part of the event series weltwechsel and is free of charge.
A young woman between heritage and future
At the center of the story is 15-year-old Nafisa. Growing up with the enchanting tales of her grandmother Al-Sit, the matriarch of the village, she experiences the daily life of cotton cultivation between family expectations and cautious dreams. When a businessman from abroad arrives with genetically modified seeds and extensive development plans, the community is set in motion.
Nafisa becomes the key figure in a power game over the future of the village. The drama combines coming-of-age storytelling, political drama, and magical realism. From the conflict between traditional role models and the promise of economic progress arises a poignant story about female empowerment, cultural identity, and the question of who owns land and the future.
Poetic imagery and political tension
Director and screenwriter Suzannah Mirghani develops an atmospheric cinema of contrasts from the Sudanese way of life. Cotton fields, village stories, and family rituals meet the cold language of global development plans. The staging moves between realistic daily scenes and fairy-tale moments where the past echoes into the present.
The production was created as an international co-production involving Sudan, Germany, France, Palestine, Egypt, Qatar, and Saudi Arabia. Filming took place in Egypt after the outbreak of war in Sudan, including with Sudanese refugees. This production history reinforces the film's themes: displacement, resilience, memory, and the search for a place of one's own.
Debut with festival resonance
Cotton Queen is Mirghani's first feature film after her award-winning short film Al-Sit. The work celebrated its world premiere in 2025 at the Settimana Internazionale della Critica of the Venice Film Festival. At the Thessaloniki Film Festival, the production received the Golden Alexander for Best Feature Film; it was also awarded the TV5 Monde Award for Best First Film at the Carthage Film Festival.
With a runtime of approximately 93 minutes, the film unfolds a concentrated, sensuous visual world. The Arabic-language original version with German synchronization opens the view to Sudanese realities and makes the subtle tensions within the village community as palpable as the grand political conflict.
An evening of cinema in the spirit of global exchange
The Weltladen Schwerin and the Eine Welt e.V. action group, together with the cinema unterm Dach, invite you to look beyond familiar perspectives. Following the screening, there will be space for discussions about the film, personal impressions, generational conflicts, and self-determination.
The audience can expect not a distant teaching piece but a direct stage experience of cinema: a warm theater atmosphere, compelling faces, the rhythm of the cotton harvest, and a staging that translates political questions into personal decisions. The audience's reaction arises where Nafisa begins to assert her own voice against the voices of the past.
Conclusion: A strong debut about courage and change
Cotton Queen connects poetic cinema with social urgency. Suzannah Mirghani tells the story of a young woman who carves her own path between family ties, colonial legacy, and economic pressure. Those who appreciate international filmmaking, African cinema, and stories of self-determination will experience a special cinema evening with a lasting impact in Schwerin.
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