This clip is a segment from our documentary film, "Nefertiti's Daughters" (2015), and is one of the more powerful moments in the story. It takes place at the 22-minute mark of the 40-minute film and gives you a sense of the intersection of women, art, and revolution, and the events that drove these truly remarkable artists into the streets of Cairo.
Awards:
ATHENS INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL 2015: GRAND JURY—1ST PRIZE
WORLDFEST-HOUSTON 2015: REMI AWARD (GOLD)
HAMPTONS TAKE 2 DOCUMENTARY FILM FESTIVAL 2015: AUDIENCE AWARD—BEST DOCUMENTARY SHORT
CORONADO ISLAND FILM FESTIVAL 2015: GRAND JURY—BEST DOCUMENTARY SHORT
SOCIAL IMPACT MEDIA AWARDS (SIMA): 2016 FINALIST—DOCUMENTARY SHORT
Official Selections:
ASPEN SHORTSFEST 2015 (WORLD PREMIERE)
RAINDANCE FILM FESTIVAL 2015 (INTERNATIONAL PREMIERE)
HEARTLAND FILM FESTIVAL 2015
ST. LOUIS INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL 2015
RHODE ISLAND INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL 2015
TALLGRASS FILM FESTIVAL 2015
NAPA VALLEY FILM FESTIVAL 2015
STONY BROOK FILM FESTIVAL 2015
SAN JOAQUIN FILM FESTIVAL 2015
ON LOCATION: MEMPHIS INTERNATIONAL FILM & MUSIC FESTIVAL 2015
DOCUTAH 2015
DRESDEN URBAN ART FESTIVAL 2015
DUBAI FILM MARKET 2014 — "MARKET RECOMMENDED" FILM (1 of 5 short docs selected)
OFFICIAL FILM WEBSITE:
www.nefertitisdaughters.com
Director: Mark Nickolas
Producer/Co-Director: Elizabeth Van Meter
Producers: Mark Nickolas, Jean Ferreri, and Ramy Francis
Co-Director/Field Producer: Racha Najdi
Editor: Mark Nickolas
Composer: David Murillo R.
Cinematographers: Oscar Frasser, Mark Nickolas
Sound Design and Post-Production Audio: Austin DeVries
Story Consultant: Deirdre Boyle
TRT 39:47
FEATURING:
Bahia Shehab
Mira Shihadeh
Salma Samy
Shahira Amin
Christiane Gruber
Ammar Abo Bakr
Nazeer
LOG LINE:
Queen Nefertiti returns to join revolutionary street artists on the front lines in the fight for women’s rights and freedom in Egypt.
SYNOPSIS:
Nefertiti’s Daughters is a story of women, art and revolution. Told by prominent Egyptian artists, this documentary witnesses the critical role revolutionary street art played during the Egyptian uprisings. Focused on the role of women artists in the struggle for social and political change, it spotlights how the iconic graffiti of Queen Nefertiti places her on the front lines in the ongoing fight for women’s rights and freedoms in Egypt today.
DIRECTOR’S STATEMENT:
The idea for Nefertiti’s Daughters grew out of watching the 2011 uprisings in the Arab world and how politically-charged graffiti and street art played such a prominent role as an act of social resistance. As someone who came to filmmaking after years in American politics, I was fascinated by the revolutionary aspect of this form of expression and how, through the simple act of writing on walls, these artists communicated their society’s hopes, dreams and demands.
After watching a 2012 TED talk by Egyptian artist Bahia Shehab, I began to understand not only the violence that women in Egypt face on a daily basis, but how courageous women like Shehab tackled these previously taboo social issues through street art. The world took note.The film focuses on three prominent women artists whose ages span three decades, and whose work illuminates their perspective of the world, but also offers us a window into how each sees the struggles of their gender and country.
We witness how street art has played a vital role throughout history during times of political transformation and social instability, and how ancient Egyptian history is incorporated directly into the work, re-appropriating styles from Pharaonic times including the great Queen Nefertiti, whose image becomes a rallying cry for women in the yet-to-be-completed Egyptian revolution. The street art memorializes acts of government brutality, serves as a call-to-arms for women, turns the tables on the male predators, and even makes us all imagine a world where a woman would be permitted to sing the sacred Adhan (the Muslim call for prayer).
CONTACT:
Mark Nickolas
Mosaic Films NYC
mark@mosaicfilmsnyc.com
cell 212.729.3159