Sudanese Drama ‘Cotton Queen’ Wins Golden Alexander Award at Thessaloniki Film Festival

Suzannah Mirghani’s Sudanese drama “Cotton Queen” won the top prize Sunday at the Thessaloniki Film Festival, taking home the Golden Alexander for best feature film.

Mirghani’s arresting debut — the first-ever feature film shot by a female Sudanese director — wowed the festival jury, which included Match Factory head of sales Τhania Dimitrakopoulou, U.S. cinematographer Frederick Elmes (“Blue Velvet,” “Wild at Heart”) and writer-director Elegance Bratton (“The Inspection”), who said “Cotton Queen” “blew us all away.”

“This film sat with all of us judges from beginning to end,” said Bratton. “As we live in a world consumed by genocide and war, it’s important to remember what we’re all fighting for: our families, ourselves, our friends, our communities. This film…kept us focused on what matters most.”

“Cotton Queen” follows a young Sudanese woman living in a village on the banks of the Nile River. The granddaughter of the so-called “Cotton Queen,” an elderly woman who’s taken on legendary dimensions due to her resistance against the British and her alleged ability to see the future, Nafisa works in her grandmother’s cotton fields and dreams about the young man she loves.

But the arrival of a wealthy entrepreneur from London upends everything, with her parents, her grandmother and her community planning Nafisa’s future without her knowledge. The film premiered in the Critics’ Week strand at this year’s Venice Film Festival.

Accepting the Golden Alexander in Thessaloniki, Mirghani dedicated the award to Sudan, which is now in the grips of a devastating civil war, and to her Sudanese cast and crew, who are clinging to survival and “seeking a way out.”

“In this time of war and of genocide, to make a film with actors who are now all displaced from their homes, all in Egypt where we shot the film, seeking refuge — to show that you can still work, you can still make a film, you can still make art in this time and be recognized for it, is really the most welcome news at this time,” she said.

Greek filmmaker Aristotelis Maragkos won the Silver Alexander for best director for his sophomore feature “Beachcomber,” which tells the story of a young man chasing his sailor father’s legacy who is forced to confront the fragile truth of who he really is. The film also took home the Artistic Achievement Award for Best Cinematography for DoP Giorgos Karvelas.

Elsewhere in the international competition, the best actor award went to Harry Melling for his depiction of a mild-mannered traffic warden exploring his submissive side in Harry Lighton’s queer romance “Pillion,” while best actress honors went to Sabrina Amali, who plays an Egyptian archaeologist whose past catches up to her in Nancy Biniadaki’s “Maysoon.” A Special Award for Best Screenplay, meanwhile, went to writer Yvonne Görlach for Christina Tournatzès’ “Karla.”

In the festival’s Meet the Neighbors+ competition section, which includes debut or sophomore films from the 36 countries of Southeastern Europe, the Mediterranean and the Middle East, the Golden Alexander for best feature went to “The Last One for the Road,” Francesco Sossai’s boozy dramedy about a pair of aging drinking buddies that premiered in the Cannes Film Festival’s Un Certain Regard section. The film also scooped best actor honors for its two leading men, Pierpaolo Capovilla and Sergio Romano.

The section’s Silver Alexander for best director went to Yanis Koussim for the horror film “Roqia,” which follows a young Algerian man tormented by mysterious nighttime visitors after a car crash leaves him with amnesia. The award for best actress in the Meet the Neighbors+ section went to Manuela Martelli for her portrayal of a Chilean widow in Hana Jušić’s “God Will Not Help,” which also won the award for Best Artistic Achievement.

In the Film Forward competition section showcasing innovative filmmaking, the Golden Alexander went to Mehrnoush Alia’s “1,001 Frames,” while the Silver Alexander went to Manoël Dupont for “Before/After,” whose stars Jérémy Lamblot and Baptiste Leclere also earned a Special Mention from the jury. The award for Best Artistic Achievement went to Kristen Stewart’s “The Chronology of Water.”

Other big winners at Sunday’s award ceremony included “Bearcave,” a queer romance by first-time directors Stergios Dinopoulos and Krysianna Papadakis, which premiered in the Venice Days sidebar of the Venice Film Festival and took home seven awards in Thessaloniki, and “Patty Is Such a Girly Name,” by Greek filmmaker Giorgos Georgopoulos, which won five awards following its world premiere this week.

The Thessaloniki Film Festival runs Oct. 30 – Nov. 9.