For the four Sudanese film directors at the heart of Talking About Trees, cinema has been more than just their profession. The freedom to make and share films is their driving passion, and it’s a freedom that they long to bring back to Sudan. After the 1989 military coup, public screenings went out of favour with the Islamist government. Khartoum’s cinemas were closed and the country’s once rich film industry was curtailed. Now retired, the four life-long friends have formed the Sudan Film Group, with a mission to revitalise the country’s film culture, starting with an ambitious plan in a crumbling open air cinema. But how do you organise a free public screening with no equipment, no money and ever-increasing red tape at every turn? A film about the value of cultural history and freedom of expression, Talking About Trees is a film-lover’s delight and a paean to the joy of cinema.
★★★★ “[A] witty and engaging cinephile documentary” - Cath Clarke, The Guardian
