Who controls the future? That’s a central question in the new coming-of-age film Cotton Queen.

Set in a cotton-farming village in Sudan, writer-director Suzannah Mirghani‘s debut feature follows 15-year-old Nafisa (Mihad Murtada), who spends her time picking cotton, writing poetry, and dreaming about her romantic future with her friends. Some of the girls make wishes they’ll find rich husbands, but others hope to marry for love—and Nafisa has her eye on a local boy, Babiker (Talaat Farhid). However, both her mother (Haram Bisheer) and grandmother Al-Sit (Rabha Mohamed Mahmoud), the village matriarch with a mysterious past, have other ideas for her future.

When a young businessman from abroad, Nadir (Hassan Kasala), arrives with a plan to sell the locals his genetically engineered cotton seed, their entire way of life is threatened. He also seeks Nafisa’s hand in marriage, which leaves her trapped at the centre of a power play to determine the future of the village, wanting to somehow find a way to save both the cotton fields and herself.

What follows is a deeply poetic, tender coming-of-age drama. It’s a film that could easily get lost in the several themes it aims to explore—some of which include modernity and the struggle to uphold cultural traditions, neocolonialism, female genital mutilation, resilience, and the complexities of intergenerational relationships—but it thankfully doesn’t. Instead, Mirghani has managed to deliver a film that balances how these themes are tackled in a way that doesn’t overwhelm or confuse the viewer.

If anything, audiences will love the complexity of the characters in this film. Nafisa is someone who can easily be rooted for as she tries to take charge of her own future, and the mystery surrounding battle-scarred Al-Sit is interesting on its own. Nafisa’s mother is also a highlight of the film, as she’s always at odds with Al-Sit and is seemingly done with everyone’s antics, providing a bit of humour and some great one-liners that lighten the mood a bit.

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The film also offers a refreshing depiction of Sudan in cinema, which is something that doesn’t often happen given the current situation in the country. In fact, Mirghani originally intended for the film to be shot on location in Sudan, but production then had to be moved to Egypt when the ongoing civil war broke out in 2023.

These characters and the presentation of Sudan, along with strong performances from the cast, especially Mihad Murtada (Nafisa) and Rabha Mohamed Mahmoud (Al-Sit), make this a worthwhile watch. By no means is Cotton Queen a perfect film, but it is an impressive debut from Mirghani—who becomes the first Sudanese woman to direct a feature—and it’ll be delightful to see what she creates next.

★★★★

In UK & Ireland Cinemas from October 2nd / Mihad Murtada, Rabha Mohamed Mahmoud, Talaat Fareed, Haram Bisheer, Mohamed Musa, and Hassan Kasala / Dir. Suzannah Mirghani / T A P E Collective / 15

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Emily Ries

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