20th Anniversary Edition – 15th Basque Window

EL SUEÑO DE LA SULTANA

Sultana’s Dream
Ciné Lumière I
£15, conc. £13

dir. Isabel Herguera

Spain | 2023 | 80 min | animation
In English, Spanish, Basque and Italian with English subtitles

Inspired by a feminist science fiction story written by Rokeya Hossain in 1905 in Bengal, Inés embarks on a journey through India searching for the traces of Ladyland, a utoptian country for women. Helguera’s unconventional story, which partly mirrors her own journey, includes fictional and real characters, such as philosopher Paul B. Preciado and English scholar Mary Beard, who have lent their voices to the film. In her debut feature film, veteran animator Herguera employs watercolour-style animation combined with the Mehndi technique, usually associated to henna temporary skin decorations, achieving strikingly beautiful results.