# Beats of the Antonov

Beats of the Antonov is a documentary film released in 2014. It is a Sudanese-South African coproduction, directed by Sudanese filmmaker Hajooj Kuka and produced by Hajooj Kuka and Steven Markovitz. The film documents the Sudan–SRF conflict in the Blue Nile and Nuba Mountains regions, focusing in particular on the role of music in helping the affected communities to sustain themselves culturally and spiritually in the face of the ongoing conflict.
This documentary, that "put Sudan's name on the screen of world cinema", was made over a period of two years, with film director Hajooj Kuka residing among the people of the Nuba Mountains in Southern Sudan.

## Premise

The premise of Beats of the Antonov is that the core reason for the civil war in Sudan is an identity issue. Over many years, the central government in Sudan has enforced an Arab-Islamic identity on the other 56 major ethnic groups of Sudan. However, in reality Sudan has a diverse population with multi-cultural backgrounds. Through the documentary, Hajooj Kuka depicts the resilience of the people of the Blue Nile and Nuba Mountains areas of Sudan through life-celebrating music and dance, despite their daily struggle to survive in a war-torn society.

## Reviews

The film won the People's Choice Award for Best Documentary at the 2014 Toronto International Film Festival and was well-reviewed by Indiewire, Point of View, The Guardian, Variety and Africa is a Country among others.

## Awards and nominations

| Year | Award | Category | Work | Result |
| 2014 | Toronto International Film Festival, Canada | People's Choice Award for Documentaries | Beats of the Antonov | Won |
| 2015 | Luxor African Film Festival, Egypt | Grand Nile Prize for Best Feature Documentary | Beats of the Antonov | Won |
| 2015 | Cordoba African Film Festival, Spain | The Best Documentary Award | Beats of the Antonov | Won |
| 2015 | Durban International Film Festival, South Africa | Best Documentary and the Artwatch Africa freedom of expression award | Beats of the Antonov | Won |
| 2015 | Festival de cinémas d'Afrique in Angers, France | Best film both jury and public award | Beats of the Antonov | Won |
| 2015 | San Francisco International Film Festival | Golden Gates Awards Documentary Feature | Beats of the Antonov | Nominated |
| 2016 | FAME, la Gaîté lyrique's cinema and pop culture festival, France | MUBI Prize | Beats of the Antonov | Won |

## Festival appearances

| Festival | Date | Type |
| Toronto International Film Festival | 4–14 September 2014 | World premiere |
| International Documentary Film Festival Amsterdam | 19–30 November 2014 | European premiere |
| Festival des 3 Continents | 25 November – 2 December 2014 | French premiere |
| Journées Cinématographiques de Carthage (JCC) | 29 November – 6 December 2014 | North African premiere |
| Dubai International Film Festival | 10 – 17 December 2014 | Middle Eastern premiere |
| Goteborg Film Festival | 23 January – 2 February 2015 | Swedish premiere |
| Festival panafricain du cinéma et de la télévision de Ouagadougou (FESPACO) | 28 February – 7 March 2015 | African premiere |
| International Film Festival and Forum on Human Rights (FIFDH) | 17 February – 8 March 2015 | Swiss premiere |
| Luxor African Film Festival | 16 – 21 March 2015 | Egyptian premiere |
| Human Rights Watch Film Festival | 19 – 27 March 2015 | UK premiere |
| Flatpack Film Festival | 19–29 March 2015 | Birmingham premiere, UK |
| Festival de Cine Africano | 21 – 28 March 2015 | Spain premiere |
| Panama International Film Festival | 9 – 15 April 2015 | Latin American premiere |
| San Francisco International Film Festival | 23 April – 7 May 2015 | US premiere |
| Maryland Film Festival | 6–10 May 2015 | East Coast U.S. premiere |
| club transmediale | 30 January – 7 February 2016 | German premiere |