Nefertiti's Daughters
From the Middle East & North Africa
•
39m
Directed by Mark Nickolas and Racha Najdi • Documentary • 2015 • 40 minutes
A story of women, art and revolution, this vibrant film documents the critical role that revolutionary street art played-and is continuing to play-in the political uprising of Egypt. Introducing a cadre of courageous and gifted female artists who are deeply involved in the struggle for social and political justice, NEFERTITI'S DAUGHTERS illustrates the surprising ways that artwork, instead of being relegated to dusty museums and academia, can instead become a powerful tool in the ongoing fight for civil and human rights.
Conversations with prominent Egyptian artists Bahia Shehab, Mira Shihadeh and Salma Samy-each from a different generation-weave throughout the film's narrative. As the women discuss their work and the ways that it is inspired by and responds to a violent and complicated political environment, viewers are offered a rare window into the struggles of living and creating in Egypt today.
For Shebab, Shihadeh and Samy, art can sever many functions: memorializing acts of government brutality; calling potential comrades into the struggle; turning the tables on male predators and sexism; and imagining a world where a woman would be permitted to sing the sacred Adhan, the Muslim call for prayer.
"Three stories intersect in this compelling short film from director Mark Nickolas: the emergence of Egyptian street art, the oppression of women in the country, and the revolution that toppled President Hosni Mubarak but didn't stop government brutality against Egyptians." —Aspen Times
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