Waves

Suez, also known as the “Flame of the Revolution”, was an early player in the anti-Mubarak uprising, culminating with the massive protests at Tahir Square. But how much has life really changed for the locals? Weighed down by a long and turbulent history, Suez is the wealthiest city in Egypt and has always been of strategic importance on a global level. Yet it is plagued by abandonment, as the government pointedly ignores the local community and shows zero interest in improving their standard of living. In his very first feature, director Ahmed Nour walks the fine line between personal and political, going from color to black and white and back again, while dividing his directorial efforts between live-action and animation. Using archival footage, mixed in with contemporary portraits of local folk, he builds a devastating portrait of an entire city – or even an entire generation: his own. His narration is punctuated by an ever-present handful of animated crows (Mubarak had 100,000 of them killed for disturbing his peace) symbolizing the city’s broken dreams, scattered in the wind, like a flock of frightened birds. Insightful, lucid and wonderfully poetic, Nour’s lyrical debut echoes Ari Folman’s “Waltz with Bashir” with a a powerful sentiment all its own.