In the Shadow of a Man (Zoll Ragel)
Arab Feature Film Competition
Hanan Abdalla / Feature Documentary / Egypt / 2011 / 64 min / Colour / HDCAM
In Arabic / English subtitles
Interests: Documentary, Social Issues, Women Interest
Middle East Premiere
Synopsis
‘In the Shadow of a Man’ is a series of intimate conversations with four women from different cultural backgrounds and generations during the changes in Egypt surrounding the revolution and their quest to determine their own destinies. Through their discussions of family, marriage, divorce and domestic violence, Wafaa, Badreya, Suzanne and Shahinda provide an in-depth study of the state of women and women’s rights in Egypt, highlighting a cultural preference for men and the restrictions on women due to longstanding customs. In turn, we come to understand the strength and the power women feel when they break with tradition and begin to take control of their own lives. Over the course of the film, these women are transformed into uniquely authentic, larger-than-life figures who imprint themselves on our memories. Director Hanan Abdalla’s debut feature film had its premiere at the Berlin International Film Festival earlier this year.
About the Directors
Hanan Abdallah was born into a family of exiled Egyptian activists in London in 1968. She graduated from Oxford with a degree in politics and philosophy in 2010 and subsequently took filmmaking courses and frequented journalists’ centre the Frontline Club before moving to Cairo to document the revolution in 2011.
Credits
- Director
- Hanan Abdalla
- Producer
- Hanan Abdalla, Louis Lewarne, Cat Villiers, Khalid abdalla, Tamer El-Said
- Editor
- Sara Abd Allah
- Music
- Anouar Brahem
- Cinematographer
- Hanan Abdalla
- Sound
- Sound Design : Moustafa Shaaban
- Cast
- n/a