A hospital in the shadow of war
For decades, the inhabitants of the Nuba Mountains in Sudan have been oppressed by the Islamist government in the capital Khartoum. To this day, there are no paved roads or mobile phone networks in this remote region in the south of the country—and, above all, hardly any medical care. But one hospital has been defying all odds for almost 30 years.
With the outbreak of civil war in April 2023, the situation has dramatically worsened. The conflict has displaced twelve million people. Hundreds of thousands of them have fled to the Nuba Mountains. The front line is not far away, but so far the region has been largely spared. However, the people there cannot escape the hunger that threatens more than half of Sudan’s population.
The film follows Joseph Yacoub in his daily life as the head of a hospital. He is the only surgeon far and wide. Hundreds of patients flock to the hospital every day: heavily pregnant women, wounded fighters, mothers with their malnourished children. Not all of them can be helped.
Joseph learned his craft at the operating table; there are no universities in the Nuba Mountains. Now he is passing on his knowledge to Nidal Difan, who wants to become the first female surgeon in the Nuba Mountains, and to Aziz Burma, a former soldier. Joseph hopes that one day the two of them will continue his work.
This documentary sheds light on a never-ending war that shapes people’s lives. They are all struggling for a future in which war is nothing more than a distant rumbling.
Written & Directed by: Carl Gierstorfer & Laura Salm-Reifferscheidt
Editor: Ronald Rist
Directors of Photography: Carl Gierstorfer
Sound: Laura Salm-Reifferscheidt
Consulting Hajooj Kuka
Mix Jochen Voerste
Color Grading Fabian Spuck
Production Coordination Stefanie Kaiser
Line Producer ZDF/ARTE Katharina Krohmann
Line Producer DOCDAYS Ko Miklik
Commissioning Editor ZDF/ARTE Susanne Mertens
Commissioning Editor DW Dieter Roser
Executive Producer: Antje Boehmert
Produced by DOCDAYS Productions in co-production with ZDF and Deutsche Welle in collaboration with ARTE. World Sales: New Docs
Length: 52 Min
Year of Production: 2025
For decades, the inhabitants of the Nuba Mountains in Sudan have been oppressed by the Islamist government in the capital Khartoum. To this day, there are no paved roads or mobile phone networks in this remote region in the south of the country—and, above all, hardly any medical care. But one hospital has been defying all odds for almost 30 years.
With the outbreak of civil war in April 2023, the situation has dramatically worsened. The conflict has displaced twelve million people. Hundreds of thousands of them have fled to the Nuba Mountains. The front line is not far away, but so far the region has been largely spared. However, the people there cannot escape the hunger that threatens more than half of Sudan’s population.
The film follows Joseph Yacoub in his daily life as the head of a hospital. He is the only surgeon far and wide. Hundreds of patients flock to the hospital every day: heavily pregnant women, wounded fighters, mothers with their malnourished children. Not all of them can be helped.
Joseph learned his craft at the operating table; there are no universities in the Nuba Mountains. Now he is passing on his knowledge to Nidal Difan, who wants to become the first female surgeon in the Nuba Mountains, and to Aziz Burma, a former soldier. Joseph hopes that one day the two of them will continue his work.
This documentary sheds light on a never-ending war that shapes people’s lives. They are all struggling for a future in which war is nothing more than a distant rumbling.
Written & Directed by: Carl Gierstorfer & Laura Salm-Reifferscheidt
Editor: Ronald Rist
Directors of Photography: Carl Gierstorfer
Sound: Laura Salm-Reifferscheidt
Consulting Hajooj Kuka
Mix Jochen Voerste
Color Grading Fabian Spuck
Production Coordination Stefanie Kaiser
Line Producer ZDF/ARTE Katharina Krohmann
Line Producer DOCDAYS Ko Miklik
Commissioning Editor ZDF/ARTE Susanne Mertens
Commissioning Editor DW Dieter Roser
Executive Producer: Antje Boehmert
Produced by DOCDAYS Productions in co-production with ZDF and Deutsche Welle in collaboration with ARTE. World Sales: New Docs
Length: 52 Min
Year of Production: 2025