Beats of the Antonov

Beats of the Antonov is a documentary film released in 2014. It is a Sudanese-South African coproduction, directed by South 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.[1]

Beats of the Antonov
Film poster
Directed byHajooj Kuka
Produced byHajooj Kuka, Steven Markovitz
StarringSudanese refugees
CinematographyHajooj Kuka
Edited byHajooj Kuka, Khalid Shamis
Release date
  • 5 September 2014 (2014-09-05) (TIFF)
Running time
68 minutes
CountrySudan
South Africa
LanguageArabic

This documentary, that "put Sudan's name on the screen of world cinema",[2] was made over a period of two years, with film director Hajooj Kuka residing among the people of the Nuba Mountains in Southern Sudan.[3]

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.[4]

Reviews

The film won the People's Choice Award for Best Documentary at the 2014 Toronto International Film Festival[1] and was well-reviewed by Indiewire,[5] Point of View,[6] The Guardian,[7] Variety[8] and Africa is a Country[9] among others.

Awards and nominations
YearAwardCategoryWorkResult
2014Toronto International Film Festival, CanadaPeople's Choice AwardBeats of the AntonovWon
2015Luxor African Film Festival, Egypt[10]Grand Nile Prize for Best Feature DocumentaryBeats of the AntonovWon
2015Cordoba African Film Festival, Spain[11]The Best Documentary AwardBeats of the AntonovWon
2015 Durban International Film Festival, South Africa[12] Best Documentary and the Artwatch Africa freedom of expression award Beats of the Antonov Won
2015 Festival de cinémas d'Afrique in Angers, France Best film both jury and public award Beats of the Antonov Won
2015San Francisco International Film Festival[13]Golden Gates Awards Documentary FeatureBeats of the AntonovNominated
2016 FAME, la Gaîté lyrique's cinema and pop culture festival, France MUBI Prize Beats of the Antonov Won

Festival appearances
FestivalDateType
Toronto International Film Festival4–14 September 2014World premiere
International Documentary Film Festival Amsterdam[14]19–30 November 2014European premiere
Festival des 3 Continents[15]25 November – 2 December 2014French premiere
Journées Cinématographiques de Carthage (JCC)[16]29 November – 6 December 2014North African premiere
Dubai International Film Festival[17]10 – 17 December 2014Middle Eastern premiere
Goteborg Film Festival[18]23 January – 2 February 2015Swedish premiere
Festival panafricain du cinéma et de la télévision de Ouagadougou (FESPACO)[19]28 February – 7 March 2015African premiere
International Film Festival and Forum on Human Rights (FIFDH)[20]17 February – 8 March 2015Swiss premiere
Luxor African Film Festival[21]16 – 21 March 2015Egyptian premiere
Human Rights Watch Film Festival[22]19 – 27 March 2015UK premiere
Flatpack Film Festival[23]19–29 March 2015Birmingham premiere, UK
Festival de Cine Africano[24]21 – 28 March 2015Spain premiere
Panama International Film Festival[25]9 – 15 April 2015Latin American premiere
San Francisco International Film Festival[26]23 April – 7 May 2015US premiere
Maryland Film Festival6–10 May 2015East Coast U.S. premiere
club transmediale[27]30 January – 7 February 2016German premiere

References
  1. TIFF ’14: Awards glory for "Beats of the Antonov". RealScreen, 14 September 2014.
  2. Sudanese film maker brings reality of civil war to Toronto festival The East African. Retrieved 28 February 2015.
  3. TIFF: Beats Bags The Big Prize Archived 20 January 2015 at the Wayback Machine, Strictly Docs, 15 September 2014.
  4. Beats of Antonov Archived 23 January 2015 at the Wayback Machine tiff.. Retrieved 22 January 2015.
  5. TIFF 2014 Review: Beats of the Antonov' Finds A New Perspective From Which To Explore The Civil War In Sudan Indiewire, 15 September 2014.
  6. REVIEW: Beats of the Antonov TIFF Docs 2014: "Beats of the Antonov" shows the celebration of culture as the defiant assertion for diversity Point of View, 8 September 2014.
  7. Music of resistance in Sudan's rebel regions, The Guardian 9 December 2014,
  8. Film Review: ‘Beats of the Antonov’ Variety, 2 January 2015.
  9. New film, "Beats of the Antonov," unlike anything I have ever seen Archived 28 September 2014 at the Wayback Machine Africa is a Country, 15 September 2014.
  10. African Film Festival winners announced TNN. Retrieved 1 April 2015
  11. De Clausura 12 FCAT Cordoba FCAT. Retrieved 1 April 2015
  12. Network, Al Jazeera English. "Beats of the Antonov Wins Big at Durban International Film Festival". Modern Ghana. Retrieved 18 March 2016.
  13. Festival Prizes Archived 3 April 2015 at the Wayback Machine San Francisco Film Society. Retrieved 1 April 2015
  14. Films & Events A-Z Archived 2 April 2015 at the Wayback Machine IDFA. Retrieved 27 February 2015.
  15. A Cortege of Springs: Stories, Visions and Thoughts from the Arab World Festival Des 3 Continents. Retrieved 27 February 2015.
  16. JCC Program Page Archived 8 December 2014 at the Wayback Machine JCC. Retrieved 27 February 2015.
  17. Documentary Archived 27 February 2015 at the Wayback Machine DIFF. Retrieved 27 February 2015.
  18. The Filmfestival 2015 GFF. Retrieved 27 February 2015.
  19. FESPACO 2015: the complete list of the movies in competition Archived 17 January 2015 at the Wayback Machine African Top Success. Retrieved 16 January 2015
  20. 2015 Programme FIFDH. Retrieved 27 February 2015.
  21. Long Documentary, Luxor African Film Festival. Retrieved 27 February 2015.
  22. Film Event Details Barbican. Retrieved 1 March 2015.
  23. Beats of the Antonov Archived 2 April 2015 at the Wayback MachineFlatpack Film Festival. Retrieved 7 March 2015.
  24. All the Programme in Just One Click Festival de Cine Africano. Retrieved 14 March 2015.
  25. Beats of the Antonov Archived 2 April 2015 at the Wayback Machine, PIFF. Retrieved 1 April 2015.
  26. Film Guide Archived 3 April 2015 at the Wayback Machine, San Francisco Film Society. Retrieved 3 April 2015
  27. Programme, CTM Festival. Retrieved 3 February 2015.
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