Sifinja The Iron Bride

A film about mobility human creativity and technology in a Sudanese truck community The English BedfordLorry was introduced to Sudan in the late 1960s Since then local craftsmen technically modify the truck into an ideal vehicle adequate for traveling offroad and for performing customers expectations The craftsmen and drivers call the lorry Sifinja because it is soft and comfortable like the plastic slippers it is named after In different places in Sudan the carpenters and blacksmiths not only create a shiny iron bride but they change the whole structure of the lorry through a highly unorthodox performance Following closely the daily work art and history of truckmodding on the Nile a fascinating way of African creativity dealing with global commodities the automobiles is opened up The documentary weaves the original sound of hammering and sawing drilling and riveting into a rhythmic exhilarating audiovisual adventure