The Square (2013)

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Movie
German title The Square
Original title The Square
Country of production Egypt ,
United States
original language Arabic , English
Publishing year 2013
length 108 minutes
Rod
Director Jehane Noujaim
production Karim Amer
music Jonas Colstrup Soundtrack
:
H. Scott Salinas
camera Jehane Noujaim
Muhammad Hamdy
Ahmed Hassan
Cressida Trew
cut Christopher de la Torre
Mohammed el Manasterly
Karim Fanous
Pierre Haberer
Pedro Kos
Stefan Ronowicz
Shazeya Serag
Angie Wegdan
occupation

The Square ( Arabic الميدان, Al-Midan , arab. for “Der Platz”) is an Egyptian-American documentary by Jehane Noujaim from 2013 that addresses the crisis in Egypt. The demonstrations on Tahrir Square in 2011 will kick off. In 2014, the film received an Oscar nomination for best documentary . He also won three Emmys at the 66th Primetime Creative Arts Emmy Awards.

content

The film focuses on the events around the Cairo Midan at-Taḥrir, the square that became the symbol of the Egyptian popular uprising in 2011. There three protagonists from different living environments meet. While one comes from poor backgrounds, the other is well off. The third is a supporter of the Muslim Brotherhood. They are all united by the desire to end the rule of Hosni Mubarak . When he announced his resignation after 18 days of mass protests, there was initially euphoria. Mubarak's successor, Mohamed Mursi, is seen by many as a bearer of hope, for others he is just another Islamist dictator.

publication

The Square premiered on January 18, 2013 at the Sundance Film Festival , where it won the audience award in the documentary category. With the Revolution still on in the summer of 2013, Noujaim updated the ending of the film later in the year. In September 2013, the film also received the People's Choice Award at the Toronto International Film Festival (documentary film category). The production was recorded in the respective language of the actors (mainly Arabic) and shown with English subtitles.

The film was released in the US on January 17, 2014 on Netflix and in select cinemas. The release via Netflix was consciously initiated by Jehane Noujaim and producer Karim Amer in order to give interested Egyptians access to the film. In February 2014 the film was shown in the forum of the Berlin International Film Festival , where it received the Amnesty International Film Prize.

reception

criticism

The Square received mostly approval. At the Rotten Tomatoes review website , 100% of the reviews are positive out of a total of 60 reviews. At Metacritic , the film received a rating of 84/100 based on 21 reviews.

AO Scott of The New York Times wrote: “ The Square , as it records the gruesome collision of utopian hopes and political realities, is not a desperate movie. He concludes by pointing out determination, based on the admission that political change can be a long, drawn-out process. "

The Chicago Tribune described the film as "a compelling look at the succession of revolutions and counter-revolutions in Egypt since early 2011". The Washington Post said the film was “elegantly photographed and structured, but infused with raw, spontaneous energy; global in his consciousness, but intimate in his concern; carefully constructed, but emotionally tearing; profoundly disturbing, but ultimately intoxicating. "

On the other hand, some voices in the USA criticized the fact that The Square glossed over the fall of Morsi and did not adequately portray the violence with which the Egyptian security forces subsequently acted against the Muslim Brotherhood.

Awards

The Square received the Audience Award in the World Cinema Documentary category at the 2013 Sundance Film Festival and the Best Feature Award from the International Documentary Association . At the 2014 Berlinale he was awarded the Amnesty International Film Prize. It was also nominated for the Best Documentary Film category at the 2014 Academy Awards. He also received three Emmys for camera, direction and editing of a non-fictional program.

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ THE SQUARE (15) . In: Kaleidoscope Entertainment . British Board of Film Classification . December 20, 2013. Retrieved January 28, 2014.
  2. ↑ a b c John Anderson: Filmmaker Noujaim Talks Sundance Winner Egyptian Revolution Doc 'The Square' (TRAILER). (No longer available online.) In: indiewire.com. October 23, 2013, archived from the original on March 4, 2016 ; accessed on January 1, 2017 . Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. @1@ 2Template: Webachiv / IABot / blogs.indiewire.com
  3. ^ The Square - Documentary Feature . ABC. Retrieved January 18, 2014.
  4. ^ "TIFF doc The Square wins People's Choice award" . CBC News , September 15, 2013.
  5. ↑ Netflix gets its first Oscars nod with 'The Square' , CNET. 
  6. ↑ a b c Cornelia Wegerhoff: Oscar-nominated, but in Egypt still with the censor. Deutschlandradio Kultur , March 2, 2014, accessed on January 1, 2017 .
  7. ↑ Movie Data Sheet: Al Midan - The Square. Berlin International Film Festival, accessed on January 1, 2017 .
  8. ↑ a b Berlinale 2014. Amnesty International, accessed on January 1, 2017 .
  9. ^ The Square. Rotten Tomatoes, accessed January 1, 2017 .
  10. ^ The Square. Metacritic, accessed January 1, 2017 .
  11. ^ AO Scott: Brave Optimism of Tahrir Square Meets Other Fierce Forces . In: The New York Times , October 24, 2013.  (" The Square , while it records the gruesome collision of utopian aspirations with cold political realities, is not a despairing film. It concludes on a note of resolve grounded in the acknowledgment that historical change can be a long, slow process. ")
  12. ↑ Kenneth Turan: Documentary The Square, nominated for an Oscar, details life in an Egyptian crossroads . In: Chicago Tribune , February 11, 2011. Archived from the original on January 17, 2014 Info: The archive link has been inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. . Retrieved January 18, 2014 ("A compelling inside look at the cascading series of revolutions and counterrevolutions that have shaken Egypt since the beginning of 2011.") @1@ 2Template: Webachiv / IABot / www.chicagotribune.com 
  13. ↑ Ann Hornaday: 'The Square' movie review: An exhilarating portrait of Egyptian politics . In: The Washington Post , January 16, 2014. Retrieved February 6, 2014.  ("elegantly shot and structured, but infused with rough, spontaneous energy; global in its consciousness but intimate in its approach; carefully pitched but emotionally wrenching; deeply troubling but ultimately exhilarating. ")
  14. ↑ 2013 Sundance Film Festival . Sundance Institute. Retrieved February 6, 2014.
  15. ↑ Dave McNary, 'The Square' Takes Top Trophy at International Documentary Awards . In: Variety , December 6, 2013. Retrieved February 6, 2014. 
  16. ^ Nominees for the 86th Oscars . Retrieved February 6, 2014.
  17. ↑ 66th Emmy Awards Nominees and Winners. In: emmys.com. Retrieved January 1, 2017 .
  18. ^ Egyptian documentary The Square wins three Emmy awards . Ahram Online. August 18, 2014. Retrieved July 18, 2015.