THE SQUARE / AL MIDAN

Directed by Jehane Noujaim

Egypt, USA, 2013 , 104 min.

Women Filmmakers Week
Thursday Evening Documentary Film Series

February 2011 marked the early, optimistic days of what came to be known as the Arab Spring, a profound movement toward democracy that is still evolving across the Arab world. The Square, a new documentary by Jehane Noujaim (Startup.com, Control Room), looks at the hard, day-to-day realities faced by the people working to build a new democracy in Egypt. Catapulting us into the action in 2011 and 2012, the film provides a kaleidoscopic, visceral window into the struggle. Cairo’s Tahrir Square is the heart and soul of this documentary, which follows several young activists, armed only with their values, determination, music, humor, social media savvy, and sheer obstinacy. They know that President Hosni Mubarak’s fall is only the beginning of a thorny path to democracy, and The Square explores how the life-and-death struggle between the people and the power of the state is still playing out.

In Arabic and English with English subtitles.

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