Ayda, Lioness among the Free Lions (2024)

Overview

Ayda Saeed is a female member of the Free Lions Forces, an armed militia established by Sudanese Rashaida rebels between 1999 and 2006. Set in 2006 during peace negotiations with the Sudanese government, the film follows Ayda’s daily life in Al Gerda camp near the Sudanese border in Tessenei, Eritrea. Amidst working on a restoration project for Mabrouk Mubarak, the leader of the Free Lions, Ayda navigates personal and political dynamics, providing insight into the Rashaida community’s struggle for identity and autonomy.