The Heart of Nuba
One doctor. One hospital. One million patients.
This page is dedicated to the documentary film The Heart of Nuba. In 2016, we partnered with Human Rights Watch and the Paris City Council to host the first screening of the film in France. The director, Kenneth A. Carlson, was present for the event. The documentary follows American doctor Tom Catena, who selflessly and courageously serves the needs of a forgotten people in Sudan's war-torn Nuba Mountains. Amid relentless bombings by indicted war criminal President Omar al-Bashir, Dr. Tom remains a beacon of hope at the Mother of Mercy Hospital.
The screening was followed by a panel discussion featuring:
- Leslie Lefkow, Deputy Africa Director at Human Rights Watch
- Jacky Mamou, pediatrician and President of Collectif Urgence Darfour (former President of Médecins du Monde)
- Jérôme Tubiana, independent researcher specializing in Sudan, South Sudan, and Chad; author of Chroniques du Darfour (Glénat, 2010), co-author of New War, Old Enemies: Conflict Dynamics in South Kordofan (Small Arms Survey, 2013), and Guantánamo Kid (Dargaud, 2018)
Afterward, the director and panelists were available for Q&A and further discussion.
We promoted the event on X (formerly Twitter) ahead of time and encouraged attendees —our members and guests— to share their feedback and experiences after watching the film. We're proud to have introduced this inspiring documentary to a French audience ahead of its official release. We are proud to stand with The Heart of Nuba, Dr. Tom Catena, and the Mother of Mercy Hospital alongside other committed partners who continue to champion this inspiring work. On this page, you'll find everything you need to know about the film, Dr. Tom Catena, and ways to support him and the people of the Nuba Mountains.
About the film
'The Heart of Nuba' (2016)
Director/Producer: Kenneth A. Carlson
Executive Producer: Maria Shriver
Producer/Supervising Editor: Jeff Werner
Editor: Sarah Brockoff
Composer: Randy Miller
Vocals: Katrina Carlson, Joel Cyprian, C.C. White
Dr. Tom Catena’s patients come to him from hundreds of miles away on foot, in carts, or often cradled in their mother’s arms. Welcome to the Nuba Mountains of Sudan, an area of the world so void of humanitarian and media attention that years of war go ignored, and cries for help go largely unheard. Here, this lone American surgeon tends with equal compassion to patients ranging from malnutrition and leprosy, to grave wounds inflicted by the indiscriminate bombings ordered by their own president, Omar al-Bashir. When a government can attack defenseless men, women and children with supersonic bombers,and it doesn’t make anyone’s newswire, something is terribly awry.
The only surgeon within 200 miles, ‘Dr. Tom’ does his best to save lives in the midst of carnage and terror, treating as many as 400 patients a day at Mother of Mercy Hospital, nestled in the heart of the Nuba Mountains. The region is the latest target of Omar al-Bashir, a man wanted by the International Criminal Court for committing crimes against humanity and war crimes in Darfur. Surrounded by a country at war, living under the constant shadow of aerial bombardment, Dr. Tom and his mostly local staff defy Bashir’s ban on humanitarian aid, and work tirelessly to serve the Nuba people. This population of one million Muslims, Christians, Animists and Africans of traditional belief have lived together harmoniously for centuries. Now, together with Dr. Tom Catena, they struggle to survive.
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The Nuba people are under siege, enduring daily bombings, trauma and infectious disease. Dr. Tom Catena is their only doctor. He is the surgeon, ob-gyn, and pediatrician for a million people living in the Nuba Mountains of Sudan, and he works seven days a week with limited resources in the middle of a war zone.
