Commendation of the Ecumenical Jury, Mannheim-Heidelberg 2022

As Khartoum is caught up in the throes of revolution, Maher goes about his business working in a brickyard far outside the capital; we see the bustling and silent progress of the workers there. In a grandiose and brightly lit landscape, the film’s protagonist experiences his own inner revolution, which the director translates into universal symbols: water purifies, fire embraces, and earth reminds us of the human condition. Maher resists the powers of this world as he tries to tame the roiling waters of the Nile released by the dam.