aKasha

Just your not-so-average romantic comedy about a Sudanese rebel soldier, his long-suffering girlfriend and the prized AK-47 called Nancy that stands between them.

There are few things that Adnan loves more than his beloved rifle, much to the chagrin of his sweetheart Lina. After a post-coital argument, the weapon ends up in her hands rather than his – and the timing couldn’t be worse. “Akasha”, the annual roundup of soldiers for the next year’s forces, is coming, and Adnan knows he’ll face trouble for losing his Kalashnikov. Teaming up with pacifist Abdi, who desperately wants to avoid being recruited, the young rebel embarks on a 24-hour quest to reunite with his girl and reclaim his gun.

Making his narrative feature debut after the award-winning documentary Beats of the Antonov, writer/director Hajooj Kuka approaches a tense situation – not to mention a tumultuous war-torn region – with humour, insight and heart in this spirited comedy, which was co-produced by Maren Ade (Toni Erdmann, MIFF 2016).

“aKasha isn’t just a lovely picture, but one which achieves a great deal with modest means.” – MUBI