Beats of the Antonov


Beats of the Antonov is a documentary film released in 2014. It is a Sudanese-South African coproduction, directed by Sudanese filmmaker Hajooj Kuka and produced by Hajooj Kuka and Steven Markovitz. The film documents the Sudan–SRF conflict in the Blue Nile and Nuba Mountains regions, focusing in particular on the role of music in helping the affected communities to sustain themselves culturally and spiritually in the face of the ongoing conflict.
This documentary, that "put Sudan's name on the screen of world cinema", was made over a period of two years, with film director Hajooj Kuka residing among the people of the Nuba Mountains in Southern Sudan.

Premise

The premise of Beats of the Antonov is that the core reason for the civil war in Sudan is an identity issue. Over many years, the central government in Sudan has enforced an Arab-Islamic identity on the other 56 major ethnic groups of Sudan. However, in reality Sudan has a diverse population with multi-cultural backgrounds. Through the documentary, Hajooj Kuka depicts the resilience of the people of the Blue Nile and Nuba Mountains areas of Sudan through life-celebrating music and dance, despite their daily struggle to survive in a war-torn society.

Reviews

The film won the People's Choice Award for Best Documentary at the 2014 Toronto International Film Festival and was well-reviewed by Indiewire, Point of View, The Guardian, Variety and Africa is a Country among others.

Festival appearances

FestivalDateType
Toronto International Film Festival4–14 September 2014World premiere
International Documentary Film Festival Amsterdam19–30 November 2014European premiere
Festival des 3 Continents25 November – 2 December 2014French premiere
Journées Cinématographiques de Carthage 29 November – 6 December 2014North African premiere
Dubai International Film Festival10 – 17 December 2014Middle Eastern premiere
Goteborg Film Festival23 January – 2 February 2015Swedish premiere
Festival panafricain du cinéma et de la télévision de Ouagadougou 28 February – 7 March 2015African premiere
International Film Festival and Forum on Human Rights 17 February – 8 March 2015Swiss premiere
Luxor African Film Festival16 – 21 March 2015Egyptian premiere
Human Rights Watch Film Festival19 – 27 March 2015UK premiere
Flatpack Film Festival19–29 March 2015Birmingham premiere, UK
Festival de Cine Africano21 – 28 March 2015Spain premiere
Panama International Film Festival9 – 15 April 2015Latin American premiere
San Francisco International Film Festival23 April – 7 May 2015US premiere
Maryland Film Festival6–10 May 2015East Coast U.S. premiere
club transmediale30 January – 7 February 2016German premiere