Eltayeb Mahdi

The short film Al Dhareeh (1977) by Eltayeb Mahdi, founding member of the Sudanese Film Group, tells the story of a man who claims to be able to heal people.

Sudan, in the late 1980s. People cross the desert on foot or cover long distances by car and truck. In Al Mahatta, Eltayeb Mahdi shows encounters at one of the large crossroads between the capital Khartoum in the centre of the country and Bur Sudan on the Red Sea.

Two blind men make their way through the desert accompanied by a donkey. Connected by a rope, sometimes the two men decide the way, and sometimes the donkey leads them through the desert.

Eltayeb Mahdis film ARBA'A MARAT LIL ATFAL depicts the everyday life at that time in facilities and schools for children with physical or mental disabilities. Children in class are being shown where amongst other things art, woodwork and speaking are being taught but also the hustle and bustle in the schoolyard as well as physiotherapy and the handling of walking aids are being described.