Egypt's film industry is the largest in the Middle East, with an output that spreads across the region and the world. In the run-up to and throughout the 2011 Revolution, a complex relationship formed between the industry and the people's uprising. Both a form of political expression and a documentation of historical events, 'revolutionary' film techniques have contributed to the cultural memory of 2011. At the same time, these films and their makers have been the target of increasing state control and intervention. Ahmed Ghazal, drawing upon his own background in film-making, looks at the way in which Egyptian film has shaped, and been shaped by, the events leading up to and beyond Egypt's 2011 revolution. Drawing on interviews with protagonists in the industry, analysis of films, and archival research, he analyses the critical issues affecting the political economy of the industry. He also explores the technological developments of independent productions and the cinematic themes of dictatorship, poverty, corruption and police brutality that have accompanied the people's calls for freedom - and the counterrevolution that has tried to suppress them.

Examines the relationship between the 2011 Egyptian revolution and the Egyptian film industry

About the Author
Ahmed Ghazal was awarded a PhD in Media and Communication Studies from the University of Auckland, New Zealand, in 2018. He has an extensive filmography, including having directed Bey'oulo (2011), winner of the Tropfest Arabia Short Film Festival.


Book Information
ISBN 9780755635429
Author Ahmed Ghazal
Format Paperback
Page Count 208
Imprint I.B. Tauris
Publisher Bloomsbury Publishing PLC