COTTON QUEEN

EVENT DETAILS

4pm prefilm closing reception catered by Burning Cedar, 4:30pm film with special guest introduction by Burning Cedar ED, chef, and local Indigenous food advocate Nico Albert, and after film a prerecorded conversation with director Suzannah Mirghani and Sudanese American poet and writer Safia Elhillo.

ABOUT COTTON QUEEN

Set in a cotton-farming village in Sudan, Cotton Queen follows teenage Nafisa as she stands at the crossroads of tradition, modernity, and survival. Guided by her grandmother, Al-Sit, whose stories and memories of resistance against colonialism still shape the village, Nafisa becomes the focal point of a new struggle when a wealthy entrepreneur arrives from abroad with a proposal to modernize the village’s cotton industry and seeks her hand in marriage. Torn between personal longing and communal duty, Nafisa must navigate the fragile balance between empowerment and expectation. Suzannah Mirghani’s debut feature explores local folklore, magical realism, and searing political critiques.

Arab Film Fest Tulsa is curated by Mizna, hosted by Circle Cinema, and supported by Tulsa Artist Fellowship.

Arab Film Fest Tulsa returns for a sixth year with acclaimed films and docs from the SWANA (Southwest Asia + North Africa) region, offering encounters with complex, authentic narratives from a spectrum of contemporary Arab world life. This year: an epic magical-realist Lebanese romance; a brilliantly comedic and stylized Egyptian drama on family and politics; a gorgeous coming-of-age story in a changing rural Sudan; an existential encounter with Qaddafi through a rare selection from Libya; a pair of incredible docs investigating American extremism and justice, from a Palestinian murder in California to cross-country cases–featuring Tulsa, OK. Join us for singular films, welcoming community, receptions with food and music, and special talks and guests.