Country: Belgium, Netherlands
Year: 2026
Duration: 85'
Chyna works at a hair salon with her sisters; she’s considered the best in the neighborhood at her job and is envied for her relationship with Raoul – the man every woman desires and the father of her daughter, Sugar. At home, however, Chyna leads a very different life: Raoul is a violent, possessive man, and as he becomes increasingly dangerous, Chyna realizes she must flee with little Sugar. To do so, Chyna will have to sever all ties with everything she has ever known.
Biography
film director
Amira Duynhouwer
(Kenya), raised in Deventer, the Netherlands, she wrote and directed the short films Kimya (2019) and Beti (2020), as well as the television film Save It (2021), before making Sugar, her feature debut. She also co-created the series Hemelrijk (2027) with Jim Taihuttu and is writing Wildflowers, set in Kenya, with Teddy Cherim. She has also worked as a screenwriter for platforms including Videoland, Amazon Prime, HBO Max, Viaplay, Netflix and Disney+.
FILMOGRAFIA
Kimya (cm, 2019), Beti (cm, 2020), Save It (tv, 2021), Sugar (2026).
Declaration
film director
“Sugar is set in the South East of Amsterdam, in Chyna’s family owned black hair salon. Contrary to the subject matter, the film will be colorful and vibrant. Not all tragedy warrants tears. Especially in our culture. We are rarely despondent. We are fighters. Mostly because there is so little room for us to be vulnerable. That is why I chose to tell this story with an all-black cast. Because they deserve every side of themselves seen and represented. When they are fierce, but also when they are not. Sugar is a celebration of women, a plea for their future, a reminder of their glory.”
Cast
& Credits
DIRECTOR, SCREENPLAY: Amira Duynhouwer. CINEMATOGRAPHY: Sam Du Pon. EDITING: Tom Denoyette. PRODUCTION DESIGN: Sanne van der Hoeven. COSTUMES: Vita Mees. SOUND: Evelien van der Molen. MUSIC: Jac van Exter, Laura Bell. CAST: Delany Lepelblad, Daniël Kolf, Latifah van Callias, Noëlle Fernandes Mendes, Rosario Mussendijk, Alida Dors, Dashaeno Berghout. PRODUCTION: Layla Meijman, Maarten van der Ven for Studio Ruba & Mirage. CONTACT: Studio Ruba (Feline Stofberg) - feline@studioruba.com
