Feature Documentary
TOTAL BUDGET
US $45,800
CONFIRMED FINANCING
US $3000
CONTACT
kismet@see-ra.org
Two parallel lives tell the story of historic events of resistance movements in Egypt. Through the story of a father and a son a journey into the lives of activists from the 70s till the Jan 25 revolution unfolds.
Through the eyes of a young boy visiting his imprisoned father, a story of defiance is told; the story of the socialist movement in Egypt and its struggle, focusing on a defining moment in its history: the events of 1989 in Abo-Zaabal, where 52 men were severely tortured in prison after months of workers’ strikes. Through a recreation of the events, the film will bring the audience into the lives of these men and their families.
Two parallel stories will unfold, that of the father and another of the son. The older generation will speak of their loss, failure and defeat throughout their struggle. However, their children tell us a different story. Feeling neglected, yet proud of their parent’s cause, these kids grew up disoriented. They resented their parents’ failure, yet when presented with an opportunity of defiance to make it up for them, they did not hesitate to follow in their footsteps. Many of these men’s children came together and joined activists’ movements, forming an integral part of the January 25 Revolution. Where do they go from here now that the revolution has not brought the change they hoped to accomplish for their parents and to themselves? Is it the end for them too?
At the end of these two journeys, both the parents and children reflect on their hopes and fears, their passion to support a cause engraved in their souls, the reality of their responsibilities, and the duty to avoid the pitfalls of the past pitfalls.
My childhood was spent in the midst of an activist household. It marked me and a number of other friends for life. For many years I struggled with mixed feelings. I kept moving between resentment and sadness to pride and compassion. The older I get, the closer I become to the events that shaped my father and a big number of his friends: the events of 1989. I remember how hard visiting my father in prison was, it is imprinted in my memory. However, the hardest of all was experiencing the change that happened to him after his release. With the worldwide fall of Communism I witnessed many give up.
I felt that we were the generation with defeated parents. I chose to work as a documentary filmmaker so I would never lose the drive to continue telling people›s stories of defiance. I will recreate the events stored in my memory with an 8mm camera in flashbacks. I will blend the past with archival footage in a feature-like drama. At the same time, through a live stage performance by one of the men who were with my father, I will bring in the different characters with their stories and emotions. The stage will act as a parallel world where we all reflect on our lives.
A producer, photographer, project manager and co-founder of See Media Productions. Elsayed graduated from the American University in Cairo with a degree in Political Science, before working as a photojournalist and managing a number of projects in the field of media. She led multidisciplinary teams to accomplish various projects in media production and publishing, including developing an interactive portal platform that combines social media, web TV, and citizen journalism. Her work in Al Masry Al Youm also involved organizing workshops for photo and video journalists, screenings films and curating photography exhibitions.
Elsayed’s own photography and video work has been published in Al masry Al Youm, Egypt Independent and Mada Masr. Her latest photography project is comprised of long-term photo essays about people living with Hepatitis C and their limited access to health services. She is also the producer of Reporting A Revolution, which premiered at the 2012 Berlinale, and screened at a number of other international film festivals. She also co-curated an exhibition titled “Reporting a Revolution, Continued,” which showed in a number of European cities. She is the main producer and film project manager in See Media.
Due to the feeble state of Egyptian media today, stories of social injustice, state negligence and human rights abuse are seldom covered. Consequently, the founding group of See Media decided to produce stories that are neglected. The production plan is based on a series of films and reports that profile people, places and causes in a well researched, indepth storytelling format. The stories are chosen based on their social relevance and under representation in mainstream media. The See Media team is also building a publishing platform that will host the films in addition to written and photo essays with different types of relevant information. So far, See Media has produced one feature length documentary and two shorts.