THE ROUNDUP

“aKasha” – released in English as “The Roundup” – (Sudan, 2018) by Hajooj Kuka is set in a rebel-controlled area of Sudan. Adnan is a celebrated war hero whose love of fighting and of his Kalashnikov is exceeded only by his love for Lina, who is waiting for him. When he fails to return to his unit on time after leave, the commander orders a “kasha”, a round-up of soldiers who are absent without leave. Adnan, distracted by Lina, is caught off guard and runs off. Along the way he meets Absi, who would rather love than fight and is also dodging the round-up. Together the two hatch plans for how Adnan can find his way back to his rifle and to Lina.

Kuka, who had previously made documentaries in Sudan’s war zones, tells the events of a single day in his first feature film as a comedy about love and war. It premiered at the Venice Film Festival in August 2018. The film was shown at Around the World in 14 Films in Berlin in 2018, in the Berlinale World Cinema Fund section.

Shown at the 2018 edition of Around the World in 14 Films.

All films 2018 · Film Archive