Talking About Trees

Ibrahim, Manar, Suliman and Eltayeb are the members of the Sudanese Film Club founded in 1989. Unable to make films for years, they have decided to revive an old cinema. They are united not only by their love of cinema and their passionate desire to restore old films and draw attention to Sudanese film history once more, but also by the fact that they all enjoyed a film education outside Sudan. Their plans to renovate the outdoor cinema come up against bureaucracy, lack of cash and a general fear of upsetting 'he who cannot be named.' (The film was made before the recent overthrow of Omar al-Bashir). In the meantime, they sit together and talk about the past and the history of Sudanese cinema, including their experiences of persecution and even torture as oppositional artists. They recall their times of exile and dream of a Sudan in which art and intellectual thought can be free. 'We are smarter than them, but not as strong,' is the conclusion. Even if their plans may be unfulfilled, the strong solidarity and humour of the four no longer young men, and their new recruit, Hana, do give hope for the future.