NEFERTITI'S DAUGHTERS (Sneak Preview #1)

6057338_75x75Preview of Mark Nickolas documentary film Nefertiti’s Daughters, featuring some of the most interesting street artists in Egypt.

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.

 

 

This clip is a segment from my upcoming 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. (Mark Nickolas)

ASPEN SHORTSFEST 2015 — OFFICIAL SELECTION (WORLD PREMIERE)
ATHENS INTERNATIONAL FILM + VIDEO FESTIVAL 2015 — OFFICIAL SELECTION
WORLDFEST-HOUSTON 2015 — REMI AWARD WINNER
DUBAI FILM MARKET 2014 — MARKET RECOMMENDED FILM

OFFICIAL FILM WEBSITE:
nefertitisdaughters.com

Director: Mark Nickolas
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

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
mark@mosaicfilmsnyc.com
Cell (212) 729-3159

https://vimeo.com/104411723