Sudanese cinema, once a thriving industry, continues to grapple with decades of decline that has forced much of its creative output into exile. At independence in 1956, Sudan had about 60 movie theaters and was an early African cinema center. However, Omar al-Bashir’s 1989 coup shuttered most theaters and dissolved state cinema institutions. In the early 2000s, digital filmmaking helped revive the industry. The Sudan Film Factory, established in 2009, furthered this revival, training more than 300 young filmmakers. Yet, the industry struggled as it lacked the distribution network to showcase its works. The war that began in April 2023 worsened the situation, pushing much of the emerging community abroad and disrupting the progress of the previous two decades. As a result, work that would have been completed in the country has had to be moved abroad, challenging filmmakers to sustain a coherent industry across multiple countries in exile.