Suzannah Mirghani’s debut feature, the first directed by a Sudanese woman, follows Al-Sit, a formidable village matriarch, and her granddaughter Nafisa, whose family are arranging her marriage. The film uses their conflict to explore women’s rights and the lingering effects of British imperialism and neocolonialism, while retaining an air of mystery and magical realism.

Fifteen-year-old Nafisa rejects the two suitors proposed by her mother and grandmother and hopes to choose her own future. One suitor, businessman Nadir, arrives to sell farmers genetically modified cotton seeds made by a multinational, echoing the struggle over local resources; Al-Sit’s contested story of driving the British from the village also haunts the film. Production moved from Sudan to Egypt after war broke out in 2023, and the film opens in UK and Irish cinemas on 2 October.