Sultana's Dream
El sueño de la sultana
Screenings
Spanish artist Inés stumbles upon Sultana’s Dream, a story written by the Bengali feminist thinker Rokeya Hossain in 1905, depicting a female-led utopian society. Inspired by the story, the film is a journey to discover the story’s origins, Inés’ own life and the reality of living as a woman historically and today. Celebrated at film festivals, the film is directed, scripted and animated by the Spanish artist Isabel Herguera.
The dreamy and meditative film is presented in a traditional storytelling format familiar from fairy tales and folklore. Feelings and thoughts on womanhood are explored largely through visual and poetic symbolism. The multi-cultural layering of the film comes through in its animation style: ink and watercolour blended with the Mehndi-technique familiar from Henna tattoos. Historical and contemporary feminisms also intertwine, as Hossain’s thoughts on matriarchy blend with thinking expressed in cameo appearances by trans philosopher Paul B. Preciado and feminist classicist Mary Beard.
Saara Tuusa
