Sudanese Film “Five Witnesses” Wins Gold in the Documentary Category at the Arab Radio and Television Festival
27 September, 2026
Tunis – Sudanow
Sudanese documentary film “Five Witnesses,” directed by Seif El-Din Hassan, has won the first prize in the General Documentaries category at the 26th edition of the Arab Radio and Television Festival, which concluded in Tunis on September 24, 2026. The film topped a field of Arab productions competing in the category.
Produced by Nabta for Artistic and Media Production, the film explores the war in Sudan through the testimonies of five people who experienced the conflict, siege and persecution firsthand. It presents the human dimension of the war through the voices of witnesses who lived through the events, using a documentary approach centered on testimony, memory and imagery.
The award came amid a broad competition at the festival’s 26th edition, organized by the Arab States Broadcasting Union (ASBU) in partnership with Tunisia’s Ministry of Cultural Affairs, and in cooperation with Tunisia’s public television and radio institutions and Arabsat, under the theme “The Pulse of the Image and the Echo of the Future.” The festival featured around 300 radio and television productions from Arab institutions and international Arabic-language broadcasters.
In the General Documentaries category, the second prize went to “Tomorrow Starts Today,” produced by the Arabic channel of China Global Television Network, while “Five Witnesses” received the first prize.
The award adds to director Seif El-Din Hassan’s career in documentary filmmaking. He has directed and produced more than 100 documentaries and has headed Nabta for Artistic and Media Production since 2003. He also founded the Nabta Documentary Channel project.
According to the film’s team, the award marks the 19th prize in Seif El-Din Hassan’s career. The director dedicated the win to the souls of those killed in the war and to the Sudanese Armed Forces, as well as to the Sudanese people whose stories and memories were brought to the screen through the film.
“Five Witnesses” was produced by a large creative and production team, including screenwriter and director Seif El-Din Hassan, producer Ahmed Seif, and cinematographers Mutawakkil Kola and Mahmoud Abdullah, along with other camera operators who contributed to filming in different parts of Sudan.
Ahmed Abdel Rahim “Danglawy” supervised editing and post-production, with the participation of Muaz Hemeiti, Mohamed Breima, Mazin Khidr, and Mohamed Tariq. Ruqayya Ibrahim Nouri and Saleheen worked in production management, while Khaled El-Fanoub handled proofreading and language translation. Ahmed “Danglawy” composed the music, while Safa Abdel Rahim and Isra Abdel Wahab managed social media.
The victory of “Five Witnesses” adds another notable achievement for Sudanese documentary filmmaking on Arab platforms and at regional festivals, highlighting the ability of documentary cinema to bring Sudan’s experience to a wider audience through the stories of people who lived through the war and witnessed its realities firsthand.
The 26th Arab Radio and Television Festival, established under the umbrella of the Arab States Broadcasting Union, is regarded as a major platform for competition and exchange in Arab radio and television production.
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Tunis – Sudanow Sudanese documentary film “Five Witnesses,” directed by Seif El-Din Hassan, has won the first prize in the General Documentaries category at the 26th edition of the Arab Radio and Television Festival, which concluded in Tunis on September 24, 2026. The film topped a field of Arab productions competing in the category. Produced by Nabta for Arti...
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