CAIRO - 16 August 2017: The 2013 Oscar-nominated documentary ‘The Square,’ or ‘Al Midan,’ chronicles the story of the struggle of the Egyptian Revolution through six different protesters. They include activist and filmmaker Ahmed Hassan; British-Egyptian actor Khalid Abdalla (who starred in ‘The Kite Runner’), a Muslim Brotherhood member Magdy Ashour, renowned award winning civil rights attorney Ragia Omran, and the famous protest singer Ramy Essam.
The film tracks the characters through the unfolding series of events of the revolution. They go through the ecstasy of toppling Mubarak, then through the uncertainties of the transitional period under the rule of the Supreme Council of Armed Forces. Finally the documentary documents the electoral win by Mohamed Morsi and his dictatorship and the wide protests against the Muslim Brotherhood rule.
‘The Square’ is recommended for more than one reason. In addition to being an important historical reference of what happened during the revolution, it is also important because it talk a lot about social change. It documents the road to freedom and democracy, and the shift in consciousness that happened at the Egyptian grassroots level. It is not a documentary that provides answers, but rather raises questions and opens the door to heated discussions.
The documentary was nominated for Oscars under the Best Documentary Feature category. It also won a number of prestigious awards including three Emmy Awards out of four nominations. It also won an Amnesty International Film Prize at Berlin International Film Festival and Most Valuable Documentary of the Year at the Cinema for Peace Awards.
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