Petr Lom’s documentary on the aftermath of the recent Egyptian revolution praises the resilience of the young protesters, Edward Lawrenson writes
“One thing is for sure, it’s a heavy film with not a lot of hope in it”, says Petr Lom of his documentary
Back to the Square, which received is world premiere at IFFR on Sunday and screens in Power Cut: Middle East, the IFFR’s exploration of film and art from the Middle East and the Arab world in the context of last year’s ‘Arab Spring’.
A documentary that follows five Egyptians connected to the protests against the regime at the beginning of last year, this is a sombre and unflinching look at the culture of repression and state violence that persists after the overthrow of Hosni Mubarak.
It was while Lom was developing a project on political reform in Egypt that the Tahir Square protests took place. “I went there at the beginning of February last year”, says the Prague-born Canadian. “Originally, I didn’t know which direction the film would take and I was just accumulating stories. The film only really came together in my head around June. I basically realised the story was about fundamental human rights – and the fact they weren’t being respected, particularly because of police abuse.”
Among the stories Lom tells is the case of Michael Nabil, a blogger arrested in March for his online comments. “He’s kind of the first prisoner of conscience, jailed for speaking his mind,” says Lom. Nabil was finally released last week, after a long hunger strike. “We wanted him to come,” says Lom. “But he’s not healthy enough to travel.”
The welcome news of Nabil’s release is tempered by the fact that authorities have still not delivered on their promise of an amnesty for 2,000 of Nabil’s fellow protestors. “We were just talking about Nabil over lunch and they haven’t been released yet.”
The issues raised by
Return to the Square look set to reach a wider audience: “We pitched the film at the IDFA Forum and there are about a dozen countries interested, so we’re chopping it up for TV. Here, the VPRO is going to broadcast a 52-minute version.” Still, Lom is puzzled why so little attention has been given to human rights abuse in Egypt over the past year: “Why is there no reporting of the fact about 1,000 people have died since the revolution, and pretty much no one’s been prosecuted for it?”
Its makes for sobering viewing, but Lom’s film points to the possibility of change. “I have no prognosis. But I ended on an image of a chanting girl which for me symbolises what’s happening now: these young people are beaten down but they’re not going to give up.”
More about Back to the Square here.