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A Handful of Dates Film

A whimsical young boy makes a life shattering discovery with his beloved Grandfather at the center.

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A Handful of Dates Film

A Handful of Dates Film

A Handful of Dates Film

A Handful of Dates Film

A Handful of Dates Film

A whimsical young boy makes a life shattering discovery with his beloved Grandfather at the center.

A whimsical young boy makes a life shattering discovery with his beloved Grandfather at the center.

A whimsical young boy makes a life shattering discovery with his beloved Grandfather at the center.

A whimsical young boy makes a life shattering discovery with his beloved Grandfather at the center.

Hashim Hassan
Hashim Hassan
Hashim Hassan
Hashim Hassan
1 Campaign |
Sudan, United States
$7,155 USD 57 backers
71% of $10,000 Flexible Goal Flexible Goal

The Story 

In a Northern Sudanese village between the desert and the Nile, a young boy, Meheimeed, enjoys a picturesque childhood. The only thing greater than his love for village life is the deep reverence for his Grandfather, Hajj Ahmed, a highly respected elder and prominent landowner. But Meheimeed's blissful existence begins to unravel when he learns the painful truth behind his Grandfather's fortune, and the cheerful old farmer who lost his own. 

A Handful of Dates, or Hifnat Tamr (حفنة تمر), is a nostalgic coming of age story rich with cultural heritage for generations of Sudanese. It was written in Arabic by author Tayeb Salih (Season of Migration to the North) in 1957 and published by the Lebanese Literary Journal, Hiwar, among a collection of stories titled The Wedding of Zein and Other Stories in 1964. 

This is also a tribute to the late Tayeb Salih himself, who often wrote about conflicted characters reconciling their idealized perception of village life with its complex reality. The story complements the screen as it offers minimal dialogue opting for a keen sense of visual lyricism to convey the boy's emotional journey. The mythical village setting, which includes the river Nile and its natural surroundings, plays a prominent character throughout the story and provides a beautiful backdrop for our Impressionistic approach to the Cinematography. 


Cinema and Sudan 


The Team 

DIRECTOR: Hashim Hassan is a M.F.A. Directing graduate of the American Film Institute Conservatory in Los Angeles and a B.A. graduate of the Middle East Studies program at UC Santa Barbara. He began his stage acting debut as Peter in The American University of Cairo's production of Edward Albee's The Zoo Story, continuing to act and direct stage productions for UCSB's Multi-Cultural Drama Company. Since AFI, he’s been working as a freelance Director and Editor. www.hashimhassan.net

PRODUCER: Mamdooh Salih received his B.A. in Film Studies and Theater from UC Santa Barbara. In college, he was president of the Multicultural Drama Company - producing and directing shows throughout Santa Barbara. After graduation, he started in Hollywood working on script development and pre-production. He has worked on many major film sets such as Steven Spielberg’s War of the Worlds (2005). He continues to be actively working on TV, commercial, and indie film projects. Mamdooh is currently producing and directing TV programming at Hawthorne and El Segundo Community Television stations.  www.aspirecinemaonline.com

SCREENWRITER: Issraa El-Kogali (M.F.A.) is a Sudanese artist/filmmaker working with mixed media, installation art, writing, and spoken word. Her directorial debut In Search of Hip Hop (Official Selection Rotterdam International Film Fest-2013) continues on film festival circuits and is featured on BBC Arabic’s Alternative Cinema program. Issraa’s photography/film work has been exhibited in the US, UK, Brazil, Germany, South Korea, Sweden, and Spain. An Alum of Boston University’s Screenwriting program, Issraa completed a guest student year at Sweden’s Royal Institute of Art in 2013. She’s been a member of the Sudan Film Factory since it’s inception in January 2010. http://www.elkogali.com/

CINEMATOGRAPHER: Dru Mungai is a Cinematographer based between Nairobi and Los Angeles, and a  graduate of the American Film Institute Conservatory in Los Angeles.  He's worked as a freelance news and documentary cameraman/editor in more than 20 countries across Africa for Reuters TV, BBC, Aljazeera , CNN, and ABC for close to a decade. His 2nd film as a D.o.P, “Togetherness Supreme”, a story about the lead up to the post election violence in Kenya, was recognized at the 2010 Kalasha Award (Kenya’s highest prize) for Best Cinematography as well as Best International Film at the 2011 Santa Barbara Film Festival.  He's worked as a D.o.P on commercials, short films, and a TV series'.  He was D.o.P on a Kenyan short film "Homecoming" directed by Jim Chuchu in Nairobi, which screened at the 2013 Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF).  www.drumungai.com 

COMPOSER: Emerging Los Angeles-based composer/multi-instrumentalist Dexter Story bring decades of experience to the production team. Literally born in Hollywood, Story scored his director brother's early independent films while working behind the scenes as a record label marketer, talent buyer and music supervisor. His romance with world music started in college and has lead to his current exploration of East African culture as co-leader of the popular Southern California group Ethio Cali. Having performed and recorded with a who's who of international artists, Story is gearing up for the Summer 2014 release of his solo Afro grooves  album. Wondem on Plug Research Records. Film credits include: One of Us Tripped, Hurricane Season, City Lax (documentary). http://dexterstory.weebly.com



Meet the Author, Tayeb Salih (1929 - 2009)

Tayeb Salih is one of the Arab world's most prized novelists, whose preeminence stemmed from his ability to write characters torn between East and West, often drawing from his own experience of living abroad most of his life. He was born in the Northern Sudanese town of Kurmakol to a family of small farmers and religious teachers. Much of his writing deals with the complex relationships within a communal village setting. He went on to work for the BBC's Arabic Service and later became Director General for the Ministry of Information in Doha, Qatar while also contributing to a London based Arabic publication, Al-Majalla. His works reflected a search for identity as an Arab/African, particularly within a post-colonial context, during an era that was witnessing a rise of nationalism throughout North Africa and the Middle East. His masterpiece, "Season of Migration to the North" (1966), dealt with a clash of civilizations. His other notable works include, "The Cypriot Man" and "The Wedding of Zein", made into a film in 1976 by Kuwaiti Director Khalid Al Siddiq.

What We Need

Filmmaking is an expensive storytelling medium and we need to pursue ALL avenues of fundraising in order to reach our goal. Your contributions will be crucial in getting us the following:

  • Wages for our Crew - 45%
  • Camera and Equipment Rentals - 20%
  • Location Fees/Travel/Accommodations/Catering - 20%
  • Security Permits/Travel Documents - 5%
  • Post-Production - 10%

Photo Courtesy: Qusai Akoud

The Impact

In bringing Tayeb Salih's classic coming of age story to the screen, we're paying tribute to Sudan's rich cultural and literary heritage while investing in the development of a greater Sudanese cinema. While this story is unique to a Sudan, it offers universal themes that any audience can connect with.

All of us are incredibly proud to bring this story to the screen.  This is our Love Letter to Sudan, which has experienced its share of difficulties over the years. We're excited to be a part of a new generation of Sudanese artists and filmmakers contributing to a richer, more vibrant Sudanese cinema. We intend to send A Handful of Dates to Major International Film Festivals.

What's the Big Deal with Dates Anyway?


A compilation of film work from Director, Hashim Hassan


    Risks & Challenges

    We're spending a significant amount of time with casting, location scouting, and immersing ourselves in a Northern Sudanese village setting in order to prepare ourselves for the expected challenges of shooting in a region that is far from the capital city.

    We will also be enduring Sudan at the tail end of the rainy season offering a combination of hot and rainy weather which is often unpredictable but manageable if the right precautions are taken beforehand.

    Shooting with Children can often be challenging and spending the appropriate time with our child actor in order to get him comfortable on set and with the camera is of the utmost importance.

    Other Ways You Can Help

    Even the smallest contribution makes a difference in getting us closer to our goal but we do understand that times are tough and you may not be able to contribute at this time.  You can still support the cause by sharing our campaign and spreading the word with as many people as you can.  Every bit helps! 


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    $40 USD
    All of the Above plus a Digital Download of Official Film Poster
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    Estimated Shipping
    March 2016
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    $1,000 USD
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