From Cairo to the West End Cinema
Talk about being in the moment! Karim Amer, producer of the documentary “The Square,” landed at Washington’s Dulles Airport late this afternoon from Cairo for a screening of his movie about the Egyptian revolution tonight at the West End Cinema at 2301 M St. NW.
And this on the day that Egypt started voting in a controversial referendum on the country’s new constitution. The film, directed by Jehane Noujam, follows several people from the inception of the Tahrir Square demonstrations in January 2011 to the present day, through three regime changes and countless demonstrations, violence and political breakthroughs.
“It’s been very good at pulling down regimes,” Amer said of the revolution, predicting that whatever the results of the current election, which has been viewed by many as a means for the Egyptian military to consolidate its power after its removal of President Mohammed Morsi last year, the revolutionaries will likely keep up pressure on those in power.
“Egyptians will not tolerate living under a repressive regime,” Noujam said, quoting one of the film’s principals, Ahmed Hassan. Whoever becomes the next leader of Egypt will find themselves in “the seat of fire,” she said.
The film opens at the West End Theater and starts streaming on Netflix on Friday, Jan. 17.