Egypt's National Council for Women, UN Women hold public screenings of 'Between Two Seas'

CAIRO – 29 November 2020: Within the framework of the 16 Days of Activism against Gender-Based Violence, the National Council for Women (NCW), in partnership with UN Women Egypt, launch a series of public screenings for the film “Between Two Seas” in a number of governorates across Egypt, with the aim of raising the awareness of women and men about the various issues that the film tackles such as violence against women and Female Genital Mutilation (FGM).

The series of public screenings commenced in Qena governorate, where two public screenings were organized on November 27-28 in Al-Ashrafiyah and Al-Kallasa villages. Approximately 100 women and men attended the screenings in Qena and participated in the group discussion that followed the screenings. The discussion was facilitated by the NCW Rapporteur in the governorate to discuss the issues that were presented in the film and allow the audience to share their opinions and questions in order to address the related misconceptions. The public screenings will be held until mid-December in the governorates of Assiut, Luxor, Damietta, Kafr El Sheikh and Alexandria.

"Between Two Seas" is the first feature film produced through cooperation between the NCW, UN Women as part of their belief in the important role that cinema plays in changing negative perceptions towards women in different societies, and it was made possible through the generous support of Government of Japan and the United States Agency for International Development (USAID). The film is written by Mariam Naoum, directed by Anas Tolba and produced by Axeer.  The story of the film revolves around a short visit by “Zahra” to her hometown in one of the suburbs of Cairo, where her daughter experience a tragic event, after which Zahra seeks to gain her daughter’s rights and insists on completing her education and enlightening her community. The film highlights the various societal issues facing women, especially in rural areas.

The film has won 14 awards so far during its tour in Arab and international festivals, winning two awards at the Aswan International Women’s Film Festival; the Nout Award for Best Film Supporting Women’s Issues; and the Best Director Award from the Cinema Syndicate. The film also won two awards for best director and the best screenplay award from the Taza International Diversity Film Festival in Morocco, in addition to the Certificate of Achievement and the best film award from the Brooklyn International Film Festival. It has also been screened at several festivals in Europe.