Directed by Omar Shargawi and Karim El-Hakim, “1/2 Revolution" is described as a “a fast-paced handheld thriller” for its raw, candid, and highly personal presentation of the violent and highly emotional events of the initial 18 days of the Egyptian revolution. The documentary film will be screened on Thursday at Cairo's downtown cultural venue, Makan. It will be followed by a Q&A with the directors.

The Danish/Egyptian production revolves around a group of activist friends who took part in protests in Cairo's Tahrir Square during Egypt's revolution in 2011. With cameras for weapons, Shargawi and El-Hakim took the streets to capture the rebellion spreading through the streets and the brutality of security forces.

This documentary film has been screened at more than 40 international film festivals, including an appearance at the highly esteemed Sundance Film Festival in 2012 and Dubai International Film Festival in 2011. "1/2 Revolution" was awarded Best Documentary Film at the Aljazeera Documentary Film Festival and the Audience Award at the Karama Human Rights Film Festival in Jordan.

In his official director’s statement, filmmaker Omar Shargawi described the experience of making "1/2 Revolution" as "an extremely rich personal experience that has changed a lot in me on the human, personal and professional level… We had to record what was happening despite the dangers we faced on a daily basis.”

Karim El-Hakim felt that creating this film was a duty. “It became something we had to do, even though it was dangerous. And in a way it was also the adrenalin rush of being in this kind of protest and uprising," he explains in a statement on the film’s official website.

The documentary "1/2 Revolution" will also be screened among a number of films by independent Arab filmmakers at the 8th Arab-American National Museum in Michigan, USA, during its 8th Annual Arab Film Festival, which will take place from Thursday, 24 January until Saturday, 26 January.

Programme:
Thursday, 24 January at 9pm
Makan Culture Centre, 1 Saad Zaghloul St. El Dawaween, Cairo

https://english.ahram.org.eg/News/63098.aspx