By Hassan El Seddiq
The award-winning Egyptian documentary "The Brink of Dreams" will premiere in Egypt today, after screening in multiple prestigious film festivals around the world including Cannes Film Festival, Chicago International Film Festival, Biarritz Film Festival, &Eacute;tats g&eacute;n&eacute;raux du film documentaire in France, DokuFest in Kosovo, Afrika Film Festival in Germany, and DER NEUE in Austria.&nbsp;
The movie received international acclaim, as well as various awards, most notably the Golden Eye Documentary Prize at the 77th Cannes Film Festival, becoming the first Egyptian movie to receive this prestigious award.
The film tells the story of a group of girls in a small village in Upper Egypt who form a theater troupe called "Panorama El Barsha", which roams the streets in defiance of the traditions of their conservative environment.
Nada Riyadh, who co-directed the celebrated documentary along with&nbsp;Ayman El Amir, told us all about the journey of making "The Brink of Dreams" and the importance of shedding light on the artistic scene in Upper Egypt.&nbsp;
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How did the idea for the movie first come about?
Between 2016 and 2018, Ayman and I were working with a group of Cairo-based organizations supporting women in the arts in Upper Egypt. We traveled frequently to places like Minya, Assiut, and other governorates, where we met the girls -Panorama El Barsha Troupe- who were performing in a nearby village, their performances captured our attention, and we kept in touch with them over the years.
In 2018, they invited us to come to El-Barsha village to screen one of our films, and we did, they were incredibly curious about cinema, and they asked many questions about it. They felt it was a new means of expression they wanted to explore. By that time, we had formed a bond with them and felt like we could make a film about them in&nbsp;El-Barsha.&nbsp;&nbsp;
From all the groups that you saw, why did you decide that your film is going to be about Panorama El Barsha Troupe?&nbsp;
What really drew our attention wasn&rsquo;t just their talent; it was their desire to impact their community, to express their ideas in an authentic, artistic way.
These were young women, mostly in their late teens, full of energy and enthusiasm. Their street performances were interactive&mdash;they weren&rsquo;t only presenting creative and bold ideas but they also were actively trying to engage with the audience in the street, prompting responses and encouraging them to think along with them. This approach was striking for us, as it was something we rarely saw in Upper Egypt.
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The film took four years to make; could you tell us about the challenges you faced during that time?
The long timeframe presented many challenges. We had to adapt our filming techniques to the environment and the conditions around us, as we knew from the start that we&rsquo;d be following them over several years, so we needed to keep the crew small, use cameras that weren&rsquo;t too bulky and didn&rsquo;t attract too much attention, and find cinematic solutions that allowed us to capture real, intimate moments without disrupting their daily life.
I think it also took time for us, the girls, and their families to get used to the camera&rsquo;s presence. Our goal was to be there without interrupting the everyday rhythm, capturing the emotions and the dramatic moments unfolding before us.
It took a long time for everyone&mdash;the girls, their families, and the surrounding community&mdash;to grow accustomed to our presence. Eventually, we could walk around without anyone asking who we were or where we were going.
This process required a lot of adaptation, particularly in terms of the crew and filming methods. It was also important to maintain a consistent crew over the years so the people we were filming didn&rsquo;t have to keep rebuilding trust with a new crew.
How did the extended filming period benefit the film?
In the film itself, you watch this talented group grow up before your eyes on the screen. I don't think we could have achieved this without the time we spent there and the filming approach we developed.
In a way, time is the main antagonist in the film, you see it passing, and you watch the four young girls grow, fall in love, and figure out how to pursue their artistic careers.
I don&rsquo;t believe we could have created a film like this without that extended time and the trust we built.
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People from Upper Egypt, especially women, are often stereotyped in cinema. Do you think there are opportunities for Upper Egyptian voices to be portrayed in a way that moves beyond these past stereotypes?
This is something we&rsquo;re testing right now, today is the movie premiere in Egyptian cinemas, and I hope that the film, along with the girls&rsquo; presence on the big screen, will help break the stereotype and inspire people to ask for similar portrayals in TV shows and films.
We&rsquo;re incredibly excited about this and we feel that audiences are eager for Egyptian stories about communities we rarely get the chance to see on screen.
How do you see the film's global success and the warm reception at various Egyptian and international festivals impacting the girls of Panorama El Barsha Troupe and their community in Upper Egypt?
The success success of the film exceeded all our expectations. After the girls returned from Cannes, the people from their village welcomed them with a grand celebration at the entrance of the village.
I think for the girls it was a huge moment of triumph. After years of doubts&mdash;questioning whether what they were doing mattered, if their art had real value, or if they were real artists&mdash;they received such an extraordinary welcome from their own community.
Being honored by so many Egyptian institutions also uplifted their spirits immensely and sent a message to other young men and women that they, too, can dream, create art, and have their voices heard and valued.
We&rsquo;ve learned that you and director Ayman El Amir have a new project titled Armstrong, which is also related to Upper Egypt. Could you tell us more about it?
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Your new project with director Ayman El Amir,&nbsp;"Armstrong" is also taking place in Upper Egypt.&nbsp;Could you tell us more about it?
"Armstrong" is directed by Ayman El Amir, and it's our upcoming feature film project, and a significant part of it takes place in the village of El-Barsha in Upper Egypt. However, not the entire movie takes place there. However, this time, the focus is on the boys in the village and their dreams. I think we&rsquo;re very attached to Upper Egypt, and we&rsquo;ll continue for some time to tell its stories.
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Can you tell us more about how film festivals provide support to young filmmakers?
Festivals, in general, are the primary platform that drives the global film industry. Being selected for festivals is crucial&mdash;it supports the film and provides it with a real opportunity, especially when it comes to distribution.
Support comes in many forms, whether through development programs, financial backing, or other avenues, and in the Arab world, there are several festivals, such as El Gouna Film Festival, Red Sea International Film Festival, Marrakech International Film Festival, and Cairo International Film Festival, all of which provide valuable support to filmmakers, especially Arab filmmakers. This support is essential for the continued growth and success of the film industry.&nbsp;&nbsp;

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