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Islam Mubarak as Sakina in em You Will Die at Twenty /em , the first Sudanese film submitted for an Academy Award.
What do Mexico, Malaysia, Morocco and Montenegro have in common? They re among the 93 countries hoping for Oscar consideration this year.
For the first time, a movie from Sudan is also in the running for Best International Feature Film.
You Will Die at Twenty is also notably the first feature film made in Sudan in 20 years and only the seventh to come from the country. I wanted to see how stories can be told in Sudan, explains director Amjad Abu Alala. Dressed in a brown suede jacket, the 38-year-old radiates upbeat energy on a Zoom call from Cairo. Because it s a very unique country and Sudan is the heart of Africa.