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COTTON QUEEN set for an exclusive UAE screening at Cinema Akil
08 June 2026
Cinema Akil, the GCC’s first independent cinema platform, in partnership with MAD Solutions, is proud to announce the exclusive UAE screening of the critically acclaimed feature film COTTON QUEEN.
Following its world premiere at the 82nd Venice International Film Festival and a triumphant win of the prestigious Golden Alexander for Best Feature Film at the Thessaloniki International Film Festival, COTTON QUEEN marks the powerful feature directorial debut of Russian Sudanese writer and director Suzannah Mirghani. The screening will be followed by an interactive Q&A session with the filmmaker over Zoom, offering audiences a rare, behind-the-scenes look into the film’s poignant themes and its remarkable, resilient production journey.
This release is part of CineMAD, a pioneering pan‑Arab film season launched by MAD Solutions to bring festival‑celebrated Arab films to cinemas across the region.
Set against the sweeping landscapes of a remote cotton-farming village in Sudan, COTTON QUEEN is a politically charged, magical realist coming-of-age story. The film follows Nafisa, an intelligent and sensitive teenager caught between the comforting weight of tradition and the jarring onset of modernity. Raised on her grandmother Al-Sit’s fiery tales of historical resistance, Nafisa finds herself at the center of a modern corporate struggle when a young businessman arrives with a development plan centered around genetically modified cotton seeds.
Beyond its compelling narrative, COTTON QUEEN carries immense real-world weight. Originally scheduled to shoot entirely on location in Sudan, production was forced to relocate to Egypt following the outbreak of the 2023 conflict. The film was ultimately made over an intense 25 days, cast entirely with Sudanese refugees, making the final product a deeply emotional, living testament to displacement, creative endurance, and the unyielding spirit of Sudanese women.
Experience one of the most vital new works of contemporary Arab cinema. Secure your seats for the opening night screening and live discussion by purchasing your tickets today.
Starring Mihad Murtada as Nafisa, alongside Rabha Mohamed Mahmoud, Talaat Fareed, and Haram Bisheer, COTTON QUEEN is a co-production involving Germany’s Strange Bird GmbH, Jip Film and Verleih, and Storming Donkey Productions; France’s Maneki Films; Palestine’s Philistine Films; Egypt’s Film Clinic and MAD Solutions; Qatar; and Saudi Arabia.
It is written and directed by Mirghani; lensed by the prolific DOP behind this year’s Cannes Un Certain Regard opener PROMISED SKY Frida Marzouk; scored by Amine Bouhafa, the composer behind Cannes contenders AISHA CAN’T FLY AWAY and ONCE UPON A TIME IN GAZA; and edited by Amparo Mejías, Simon Blasi, Frank Müller.
It’s also produced by Caroline Daube, Didar Domehri, and co-produced by Annemarie Jacir, Ossama Bawardi, Jessica Khoury, Mohamed Hefzy, Alaa Karkouti, Maher Diab, and stars Mihad Murtada, Rabha Mohamed Mahmoud, Talaat Fareed, Haram Bisheer, Mohamed Musa, and Hassan Mohi El Din.
Suzannah Mirghani is a Russian Sudanese filmmaker. Her short film AL-SIT, screening on Netflix Middle East, won the Canal+ Award at Clermont-Ferrand in 2021, among other international prizes. Her recent shorts include VIRTUAL VOICE (2021, Tribeca Film Festival) and KAMALA IBRAHIM ISHAG: STATES OF ONENESS (2022), commissioned by Serpentine Galleries.
Following its world premiere at the 82nd Venice International Film Festival and a triumphant win of the prestigious Golden Alexander for Best Feature Film at the Thessaloniki International Film Festival, COTTON QUEEN marks the powerful feature directorial debut of Russian Sudanese writer and director Suzannah Mirghani. The screening will be followed by an interactive Q&A session with the filmmaker over Zoom, offering audiences a rare, behind-the-scenes look into the film’s poignant themes and its remarkable, resilient production journey.
This release is part of CineMAD, a pioneering pan‑Arab film season launched by MAD Solutions to bring festival‑celebrated Arab films to cinemas across the region.
Set against the sweeping landscapes of a remote cotton-farming village in Sudan, COTTON QUEEN is a politically charged, magical realist coming-of-age story. The film follows Nafisa, an intelligent and sensitive teenager caught between the comforting weight of tradition and the jarring onset of modernity. Raised on her grandmother Al-Sit’s fiery tales of historical resistance, Nafisa finds herself at the center of a modern corporate struggle when a young businessman arrives with a development plan centered around genetically modified cotton seeds.
Beyond its compelling narrative, COTTON QUEEN carries immense real-world weight. Originally scheduled to shoot entirely on location in Sudan, production was forced to relocate to Egypt following the outbreak of the 2023 conflict. The film was ultimately made over an intense 25 days, cast entirely with Sudanese refugees, making the final product a deeply emotional, living testament to displacement, creative endurance, and the unyielding spirit of Sudanese women.
Experience one of the most vital new works of contemporary Arab cinema. Secure your seats for the opening night screening and live discussion by purchasing your tickets today.
Starring Mihad Murtada as Nafisa, alongside Rabha Mohamed Mahmoud, Talaat Fareed, and Haram Bisheer, COTTON QUEEN is a co-production involving Germany’s Strange Bird GmbH, Jip Film and Verleih, and Storming Donkey Productions; France’s Maneki Films; Palestine’s Philistine Films; Egypt’s Film Clinic and MAD Solutions; Qatar; and Saudi Arabia.
It is written and directed by Mirghani; lensed by the prolific DOP behind this year’s Cannes Un Certain Regard opener PROMISED SKY Frida Marzouk; scored by Amine Bouhafa, the composer behind Cannes contenders AISHA CAN’T FLY AWAY and ONCE UPON A TIME IN GAZA; and edited by Amparo Mejías, Simon Blasi, Frank Müller.
It’s also produced by Caroline Daube, Didar Domehri, and co-produced by Annemarie Jacir, Ossama Bawardi, Jessica Khoury, Mohamed Hefzy, Alaa Karkouti, Maher Diab, and stars Mihad Murtada, Rabha Mohamed Mahmoud, Talaat Fareed, Haram Bisheer, Mohamed Musa, and Hassan Mohi El Din.
Suzannah Mirghani is a Russian Sudanese filmmaker. Her short film AL-SIT, screening on Netflix Middle East, won the Canal+ Award at Clermont-Ferrand in 2021, among other international prizes. Her recent shorts include VIRTUAL VOICE (2021, Tribeca Film Festival) and KAMALA IBRAHIM ISHAG: STATES OF ONENESS (2022), commissioned by Serpentine Galleries.
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