Sultana's Dream

Sultana’s Dream

Inspired by a feminist sci-fi story written by Rokeya Hossain in Bengal in 1905, Inés embarks on an initiatory journey through India in search of Ladyland, the utopian land where women rule while men live in seclusion and busy themselves with household chores.

Veteran short film director Isabel Herguera makes her feature debut with a tale of three intertwined stories, each illustrated with a different animation technique, to reflect the feminist struggle throughout history.

Isabel Herguera studied fine arts at the Kunstakademie Düsseldorf, Germany, and animation at the California Institute of the Arts, Los Angeles. She has directed and produced a number of shorts, including La gallina ciega (2005), Ámár (2010), Bajo la almohada (2012), Amore d'inverno (2015)—all screened as part of a showcase at l’Alternativa Hall 2015—and Kutxa beltza (2016). Since 2005 she has taught animation workshops at the the National Institute of Design at Ahmedabad, India, and is a visiting animation lecturer at the Central Academy of Fine Arts (CAFA) in Beijing, China. And since 2017 she has taught animation at the Kunsthochschule für Medien Köln (Alemania). El sueño de la sultana (2023), which competed in the official sections at l’Alternativa 2023, is her debut feature.

After watching the film, we shall have the chance to hear the director describe the creative process and ask her about the decisions she took that led to the final film.