EGYPT: WE ARE WATCHING YOU
Price: $310.00 Code: 2319 |
Directed by Jehane Noujaim and Sherief Elkatsha
2007, 52 minutes
Purchase: $310 Classroom Rental: $125
Directed by Jehane Noujaim, the Academy Award nominated filmmaker of The Square and Control Room, and Sherief Elkatsha, Egypt: We are Watching You shines a harsh spotlight on Egypt's new democracy.
In his 2005 State of the Union address, President Bush cited Egypt as the country that would pave the way for democracy in the Middle East. That same year, President Mubarak, who's National Democratic Party has been the dominant political force for 24 years, announced that Egypt would hold multi-party presidential elections.
Unable to sit idly by while their country is on the brink of change, three women activists start a grassroots campaign to empower the public and hold their government accountable. Called Shayfeen.com - ‘we are watching you' - they film the election process, capturing widespread violence and voter fraud, and broadcast the footage on their website. Their courageous efforts, which includes publishing a list of corrupt judges on their website, leads to an invitation to speak at the U.N. (where they receive a wink and some reassuring words from President Bush).
Insisting that only the people can make change happen, their goal is to educate the Egyptian public on what it takes to build the most basic pillars of democracy: basic human rights, freedom of speech and the establishment of an independent judiciary. Egypt: We are Watching You illustrates the importance of ordinary citizens participating in shaping and securing their democracy.
“A window into a world unavailable to most, Egypt: We are Watching You, is as much a depiction of a nation in jeopardy as one of a people actively pursuing progressive change. Its honesty and tentative positivity is a sobering yet inspiring look at a nation in peril.” - Feminist Review
" Leila Menjou and Sherief Elkatsha’s inspiring documentary “Egypt: We Are Watching You” records the valiant efforts of three admirable women who successfully call their country to task for apathy and their government for corruption". - Al Jadid
2007, 52 minutes
Purchase: $310 Classroom Rental: $125
Directed by Jehane Noujaim, the Academy Award nominated filmmaker of The Square and Control Room, and Sherief Elkatsha, Egypt: We are Watching You shines a harsh spotlight on Egypt's new democracy.
In his 2005 State of the Union address, President Bush cited Egypt as the country that would pave the way for democracy in the Middle East. That same year, President Mubarak, who's National Democratic Party has been the dominant political force for 24 years, announced that Egypt would hold multi-party presidential elections.
Unable to sit idly by while their country is on the brink of change, three women activists start a grassroots campaign to empower the public and hold their government accountable. Called Shayfeen.com - ‘we are watching you' - they film the election process, capturing widespread violence and voter fraud, and broadcast the footage on their website. Their courageous efforts, which includes publishing a list of corrupt judges on their website, leads to an invitation to speak at the U.N. (where they receive a wink and some reassuring words from President Bush).
Insisting that only the people can make change happen, their goal is to educate the Egyptian public on what it takes to build the most basic pillars of democracy: basic human rights, freedom of speech and the establishment of an independent judiciary. Egypt: We are Watching You illustrates the importance of ordinary citizens participating in shaping and securing their democracy.
Subjects & Collections
Islamic Studies Cultural Studies Peace & Conflict Political Science Religion & Spirituality African Studies Media Studies 2009 Directed by Women
Festivals & Awards
* Official Selection, Amsterdam Documentary Film Festival, 2008Reviews
“I highly recommend this video to anyone interested in grassroots organization using media and information and communication technologies. It is professionally shot and edited and I look to see more from these directors. “ - Educational Media Reviews Online“A window into a world unavailable to most, Egypt: We are Watching You, is as much a depiction of a nation in jeopardy as one of a people actively pursuing progressive change. Its honesty and tentative positivity is a sobering yet inspiring look at a nation in peril.” - Feminist Review
" Leila Menjou and Sherief Elkatsha’s inspiring documentary “Egypt: We Are Watching You” records the valiant efforts of three admirable women who successfully call their country to task for apathy and their government for corruption". - Al Jadid
Related Films
|
TAXI TO THE DARK SIDE
The educational version of the 2008 Academy Award® winner for Best Documentary Feature, Taxi to the Dark Side is the definitive investigation into the introduction of torture as an interrogation technique in U.S. facilities and the role played by key figures of the Bush Administration in the process.
|
|
IRON LADIES OF LIBERIA
On January 16, 2006, Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf was inaugurated President of Liberia, the first elected female head of state in Africa. With unprecedented access, Iron Ladies of Liberia follows her historic first year in office.
|
|
DINNER WITH THE PRESIDENT
What are the implications for democracy in Pakistan? Before his sudden resignation, President Musharraf agreed to discuss these issues over dinner at his official residence, the Army House. Supplemented by a diverse range of interviews, this documentary provides an important study of today's Pakistan.
|
|
IN SEARCH OF GANDHI
Over the past two decades India has experienced steady economic growth resulting in the rise of a new middle class. But what does it mean to actually live in the world's largest democracy? In Search of Gandhi seeks to discover the current and future state of democracy in India.
|
|
FOR GOD, TSAR AND THE FATHERLAND
Is the small village of Durakovo - where residents unquestioningly obey a self-appointed leader - a microcosm of Russia today? For God, Tsar and the Fatherland deftly explores what drives the current strain of Russian patriotism, and why many of the country's citizens oppose Western-style democracy.
|
|
LOOKING FOR REVOLUTION
Che Guevara died in Bolivia while trying to ignite the sparks of revolution. Forty years later, the country's first indigenous President, Evo Morales, is promising to continue his work. This documentary takes a closer look at the successes and failures of Morales' 'revolution.'
|
|
BLOODY CARTOONS
Filmed across the Middle East, Bloody Cartoons looks at how and why 12 drawings in a Danish newspaper drew a small country into a confrontation with Muslims all over the world. Featuring interviews with key players, this documentary goes behind the controversy to investigate the roots of the crisis.
|
|
CAMPAIGN
This is democracy - Japanese style. Campaign provides a startling insider's view of Japanese electoral politics in this portrait of a man plucked from obscurity by the ruling Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) to run for a critical seat on a suburban city council.
|
|
PLEASE VOTE FOR ME
An experiment in democracy is taking place in a third grade classroom in China. For the first time, students will be able to elect their own class monitor. A surprising and insightful documentary, Please Vote for Me seeks to determine how - if democracy should come to China - it would be received.
|