Amal

At age 14, Amal is already taking part in protests on Cairo’s Tahrir Square. In the years after, she searches for her identity in a country in transition.

Amal is 14 years old when she ends up on Tahrir Square during the Egyptian revolution, after the death of her boyfriend in the Port Said Stadium riot. During the protests, she is beaten by police and dragged across the square by her hair. This coming-of-age film follows her over the years after the revolution. As the film cuts between the unfolding current events and Amal’s rapidly changing life (and appearance), we see her searching for her own identity in a country in transition.

Amal is fiery and fearless, sinking her teeth into the protests and constantly lecturing her mother, who works as a judge. A girl among men, she also has to fight for respect and the right to take part, both in the street and in the rest of her life. In Egypt, even for a young woman like Amal – her name means ‘hope’ – the choices open to her for her future are limited.

Amal is part of the Resist and IDFA Selection theme programmes.