Cotton Queen
International Feature Film Competition - Doha Film Festival 2025
Suzannah Mirghani / Sudan, Germany, France, Palestine, Qatar, Saudi Arabia / 2025 / 94 min / Colour / DCP / In Arabic / Arabic, English subtitles
Themes: Coming-of-Age, Drama
Rated: 
Parental guidance is advised for viewers under the age of 13. Individuals under the age of 13 are not admitted into cinemas unless accompanied by an individual aged 18 or older.
Dates And Timings
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Wed, Nov 26 - 9:30 AM
Katara Cinema, Bronze Cinema- Fee: 0 QAR
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Wed, Nov 26 - 5:30 PM
Katara Building 16, Drama Theatre- Fee: 50 QAR
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Thu, Nov 27 - 8:30 PM
Vox Cinemas, Doha Festival City, Screen 6- Fee: 50 QAR
Description
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 modernise 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.
Qatar-based writer-director Suzannah Mirghani crafts an intimate and politically layered portrait of Sudanese womanhood, weaving themes of identity, matriarchy, and resistance into a richly textured narrative. ‘Cotton Queen’ continues the story world of Mirghani’s award-winning short film ‘Al-Sit’, expanding it into a sweeping reflection on heritage and transformation. Filmed after the outbreak of war in Sudan in 2023 and recreated in Egypt with Sudanese refugees, the production itself mirrors the film’s themes of displacement, resilience, and creative endurance. With lyrical cinematography and understated performances, the poignant film stands as a cinematic ode to the strength and spirit of women who persist, create, and dream in the face of loss and upheaval.
Director
Suzannah Mirghani
Credits
- Screenwriter
- Suzannah Mirghani
- Producer
- Caroline Daube, Didar Domehri
- Cinematographer
- Frida Marzouk
- Editor
- Amparo Mejías, Simon Blasi, Frank Müller
- Music
- Amine Bouhafa
- Cast
- Mihad Murtada Rabha Mohamed Mahmoud Talaat Fareed Haram Bisheer Mohamed Musa Hassan Kassala Fatma Farid Aya Yassin Altageel Tagali Magdy Tibr Magdy