Marwa Zein

Marwa Zein (Arabic: مروى زين) is a Sudanese film director, scriptwriter and film producer. She is the author of the 2019 documentary, Khartoum Offside, and an advocate of women's rights through her work.[1][2] She is the founder of ORE Production, a Khartoum-based film production company and one of the seven young filmmakers selected from around the world to attend the Cannes Film Festival 2019 by the International Emerging Film Talent Association (IEFTA).[3]

Marwa Zein
Born
Marwa Zein

Mecca, Saudi Arabia
NationalitySudanese
Occupation
Years activefrom 2008
Known for
Websitehttps://www.marwazein.com/

Career

For her graduation project, Zein wrote, directed and produced the short documentary film, A Game, in 2009, translated into five languages and presented as an official selection in over 30 international festivals globally. At the 2016 Dubai International Film Festival (DIFF), her short film, One Week, Two Days!, starring Yasmin Raies and Amro Saleh,[4] was premiered.[5] It too was featured in various other film festivals.[6]

In 2019, she completed a four-year long project, which she wrote and directed, a sports documentary called Khartoum Offside.[7][8] It was globally premiered in the 2019 Berlinale Forum in Germany and was listed as one of three notable Sudanese films premiered in 2019 by Media Support.[9][10] One central message of the film was stated in the introductory lines like this:

“Under the current political Islamic military rule, women are not allowed to play football in Sudan – and we are not allowed to make films – but…”

[11][8]

In producing this film, she defied the Sudanese government's negative attitude towards women's involvement in filmmaking.[12] Although she didn't encounter direct physical assault during the course of making this film, she received some threats of her camera or material possibly being destroyed.[8][13][14] Finally, however, she received the necessary clearance for shooting this film. After the political changes brought about by the Sudanese revolution of 2018/19, the film was presented at the opening of the Sudan Independent Film Festival in Khartoum in January 2020.[15]

Filmography
Year Film Role Notes Ref.
2019 Khartoum Offside Director, Producer, Writer Sports documentary [16]
2016 One Week, Two Days! Director, Writer Short film, Drama [17]
2015 What a lover can be? Director, Producer Documentary, Short film [18]
2013 Culture for All Director Documentary, Short film [19]
2009 A Game Director, Writer, Co-producer Short film, Drama [20]
2008 Randa Shaath Director, Writer, Producer Documentary, Short film [21]

Accolades
Year Event Prize Recipient Result Ref.
2020 ASA 2020 ASA Film Prize Herself, for Khartoum Offside Runner-up [22]
2019 AMAA Best Documentary Won [23]
CFF Won
Berlinale Nominated [24][25]

See also

References
  1. "New York African Film Festival Goes Virtual with Streaming Rivers: The Past into the Present". Film at Lincoln Center. November 19, 2020. Retrieved November 20, 2020.
  2. Diffrient, David Scott. "Sudan Offside". acts.Human Rights Film Festival. Retrieved November 20, 2020.
  3. "7 FILMMAKERS SELECTED FOR CANNES 2019". IEFTA. Retrieved November 20, 2020.
  4. "One Week, Two Days". Cinando. Retrieved November 20, 2020.
  5. "Egyptian film One Week Two Days to compete in 13th Dubai film festival". Ahram Online. October 5, 2016. Retrieved November 20, 2020.
  6. Rico, Gabriela (April 23, 2019). "Hot Docs 2019 Women Directors: Meet Marwa Zein - "Khartoum Offside"". Women and Hollywood. Retrieved November 20, 2020.
  7. "FILM FILE | Oufsaiyed Elkhortoum". Berlinale. Retrieved November 10, 2020.
  8. Aftab, Kaleem (February 20, 2020). "The films that defy censorship". BBC. Retrieved November 19, 2020.
  9. "The future of football in Sudan is (also) female". Media Support. October 11, 2019. Retrieved November 19, 2020.
  10. "Berlinale 2019: Marwa Zein's "Khartoum Offside" | Football, film and freedom in Sudan". Qantara. Retrieved November 19, 2020.
  11. "SCREENING: KHARTOUM OFFSIDE (2019) AND THE BLEACHING SYNDROME (2020)". Dardishi. October 31, 2020. Retrieved November 10, 2020.
  12. "NEW YORK AFRICAN AMERICAN FILM FESTIVAL Goes Virtual Dec. 2". Broadway World. Retrieved November 19, 2020.
  13. "IDFA: Khartoum Offside by Movies that Matter". DeBalie. Retrieved November 10, 2020.
  14. "International Perspective: Khartoum Offside". 44.Monster. Retrieved November 10, 2020.
  15. "Sudan Independent Cinema Festival Screens 81 Films| Sudanow Magazine". sudanow-magazine.net. Retrieved 2020-12-09.
  16. "Khartoum Offside (2019)]". IMDb. Retrieved November 19, 2020.
  17. "One week, Two days! (2016)". IMDb. Retrieved November 19, 2020.
  18. "What a lover can be? (2015)". IMDb. Retrieved November 19, 2020.
  19. "Culture for all (2013)". IMDb. Retrieved November 19, 2020.
  20. "A Game (2009)". IMDb. Retrieved November 19, 2020.
  21. "Randa Shaath (2008)". IMDb. Retrieved November 19, 2020.
  22. "African Studies Association Announces 2020 Finalists and Awards for Africanists". New Jersey: African Studies Awards. November 9, 2020. Retrieved November 20, 2020.
  23. "NEW YORK AFRICAN AMERICAN FILM FESTIVAL Goes Virtual Dec. 2". Broadway World. Retrieved November 20, 2020.
  24. Fahim, Joseph (October 4, 2019). "Middle East film: The hottest features right now are from Saudi Arabia and Sudan". Middle East Eye. Retrieved November 20, 2020.
  25. Fahim, Joseph (February 20, 2019). "Berlinale 2019: Israel takes the prize, but Sudan scores a double". Berlin: Middle East Eye. Retrieved November 20, 2020.
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