Egyptian Documentary Amal Wins At the Berlin Film Festival

Reframing the conflict between tradition and awakening, Egyptian documentary Amal dazzled the jury at the Berlin Film Festival, where its director Mohamed Siam was awarded the Robert Bosch Stiftung Best Documentary recognition.

Produced by Sara Bökemeyer, the documentary tells the story of a rebellious Egyptian girl who joins an anti-establishment fan base of a soccer team against her mother’s wishes. As she takes to the streets to protest against police repression and witnesses the tragic massacre of her fellow football fans in Port Said, she is confronted with a fundamental dilemma: does a young woman really have a place in an arena dominated by men and violence?

Along with Amal, two other German-Arab projects were awarded: Amjad Al Rasheed and Darin Salam’s short fiction film ‘The Parrot’ (Jordan); and Ghassan Halwani’s animation ‘Clean Up The Living Room, We’ve Got Visitors Coming’ (Lebanon), each one of them receiving €70,000.

For more information: Visit the Berlin Film Festival‘s website and follow its Facebook page.