Based on Sudanese writer Hammour Ziada’s short story, Sleeping at the Foot of the Mountain, You Will Die at Twenty follows the life of Muzamil (Mustafa Shehata) from birth until his 20th birthday. Muzamil’s religious Sufi village lies between the Blue and White Nile in Al Jazira state, Sudan, and at the boy’s baptism ceremony, a sheik prophesizes that Muzamil will meet an early death at the age of twenty. Beholden to the grim fate, his mother, Sakina (Islam Mubarak), becomes overprotective and forbids his education or travelling, and his despairing father, Alnoor (Talal Afifi), leaves home for many years. The villagers taunt Muzamil, referring to him as “son of death”, and he becomes increasingly isolated, with only the opportunity to study the Koran. The quality of his life changes when he meets Suliman (Mahmoud Elsaraj), a Sudanese cinematographer, who imparts his passion for cinema and existential ideas with the curious teenager. A conflict grows within Muzamil between his traditional values and newfound modern aspirations. Will he have the time to act out his desires?
Winner – Best Debut Film – Venice Film Festival 2019
Winner – Best First Film, Best Screenplay, FIPRESCI Award - Carthage Film Festival 2019
Winner – Hamburg Producers Award – Hamburg Film Festival
Winner – Best Film – El Gouna Film Festival 2019
105 min/Sudan/France/Egypt/Germany/Norway/Qatar/Arabic with English subtitles/2019/Cert. 12A
★★★★
"Sudan’s first Oscar entry... warmed by compassion and gorgeous dreamy imagery. ‘The film is a parable about the dangers of blind faith in religion and authority…there are some gorgeous images here, too."
Cath Clarke, THE GUARDIAN
★★★★★
"Exploring concepts of mortality and morality in a number of intelligent and gripping ways… fantastic cinematography and sound design…great production work is bolstered further by a talented cast who deliver powerful and emotive performances… perfectly."
Umar Ali, THE UPCOMING
★★★★
'A sadly all-to-rare chance to catch a new work from Sudan on the big screen. Spirited and philosophical...its quiet profundity strikes you hours, days after viewing.'
The film avoids hyperbole in its thoughtful, philosophical exploration of young life saddles with a finite expiry date.'
David Jenkins, LITTLE WHITE LIES
★★★★
"Sudanese film-maker Amjad Abu Alala's radiant drama dares to wonder if death can inspire courage rather than fear."
Simran Hans, THE OBSERVER
★★★★1/2
“Gorgeously crafted, melancholic exploration of what it means to live, what it means to die, and how the two intersect."
Joseph Thomasik, LOUD AND CLEAR
'A work of remarkable simplicity - and remarkable density.'
'Elegant storytelling...insightful film.'
Jonathan Romney, SIGHT & SOUND
★★★★
"..immaculate compositions...evokes the legacy of dictatorship with sensitivity and precision."
Kevin Harley, TOTAL FILM
★★★★1/2
"...it's deep and carefully made with many moral resonances and some striking images, and it has already picked up many awards and nominations in international film festivals including in Venice.'
MOVIES1
“…A modern parable where tradition and progression collide to produce an almost mystical drama...spins an intelligent and affecting yarn in complex hues.
"Beautifully shot, Amjad Abu Alala’s film is assuredly done...It feels timeless in a way."
Rob Aldham, BACKSTREET MAFIA
★★★★
"Compelling..The first Sudanese film ever to be submitted for an Oscar...walks a fine tightrope between the wonder and the grandeur of more traditionally awards-friendly fare."
"A rousing look at the shackles of foundational religion and the obstacles they present for personal growth."
Val Connor, MORNING STAR
"There are echoes of Cinema Paradiso in which the boy Toto comes to love how film questions traditional values."
"Viewers will ache through the piece for a glimpse of resurrection. Given that the film is dedicated to victims of the Sudanese Revolution, it is a rallying cry not just to Muzamil, but the whole nation. Sleepers, wake."
Stephen Brown, CHURCH TIMES
★★★★
"Beautiful. The locations offers a landscape that like religion, has inspired peole as well as frightened them."
Dan Carrier,CAMDEN NEW JOURNAL/ISLINGTON TRIBUNE/WEST END EXTRA
"Critic's Pick"
A folk tale turns existential in “You Will Die at Twenty,” the rapturous debut feature by the Sudanese filmmaker Amjad Abu Alala."
"Devika Girish, The New York Times
" A vibrant and transfixing revelation, You Will Die at Twenty is as novel a vision as we may see this year."
Carlos Aguilar, The L.A. Times
“An affecting work and an impressive first feature.
Boasting a terrific visual sensitivity, this rare film from Sudan has a fable-like quality in its depiction of an isolated village where "Critic's Pick"
superstition constrains its people.”
Jay Weissberg, Variety
“Abu Alala’s feature debut has a fascinating pitch…”
Boyd van Hoeij, The Hollywood Reporter
“The feature debut from Sudanese filmmaker Amjad Abu Alala reveals a promising director with great control of mise en scene.…beautifully realised feature debut....the promising Amjad Abu Alala (who wrote the script with Yousef Ibrahim) delivers a subtle political message underneath a narration that delicately holds on the thread of suspense, mixes myth and realism, and delicately unpacks mother- and father-son relationships. Qualities which make him a filmmaker to follow very closely.”
Fabien Lemercier, Cineuropa
“A complex, stunning and sophisticated debut feature from Amjad Abu Alala and a major achievement for Sudanese cinema. A confident debut that already feels like an accomplishment.
Amjad Abu Alala creates one of the best, if not the best, Middle Eastern film of the year with a daring, poetic and reflective film about faith, life and death” Mina Takla, Awards Watch
