- Share this article on Facebook
- Share this article on Twitter
- Share this article on Flipboard
- Share this article on Email
- Show additional share options
- Share this article on Linkedin
- Share this article on Pinit
- Share this article on Reddit
- Share this article on Tumblr
- Share this article on Whatsapp
- Share this article on Print
- Share this article on Comment
Egypt has put forward gritty revolutionary drama Winter of Discontent as its official contender for the best foreign language film Oscar at the 86th Academy Awards.
Directed by Ibrahim al-Batout, the film stars Amr Waked (Salmon Fishing in the Yemen, Syriana), Farah Youssef and Salah Al Hanafy as it focuses on an activist, a journalist and a state security officer and their entangled lives during the tumultuous events of January 2011 in Cairo’s Tahrir Square. It has been noted for its unflinching look at the brutality of Hosni Mubarak’s regime as it tried desperately to forestall the revolution. Waked and Al Hanafy both also co-produced. In public life, Waked has been a virulent critic of the recently disempowered Muslim Brotherhood.
PHOTOS: 30 Years of Oscar Hosts: Johnny Carson, Seth MacFarlane, Ellen
The film premiered in the Horizons section at the Venice Film Festival in 2012, before screening at the film festivals of Cairo and Dubai. It was acquired by Toronto-based Double Dutch ahead of the 2013 Cannes market.
In 2012, Egypt was unable to submit a film to the Oscars, owing to the post-revolutionary turmoil in the country.
No Egyptian film has ever made the Academy’s nomination shortlist.
The Oscar nominations will be announced on January 16 with the awards ceremony taking place on March 2, 2014.
Related Stories
THR Newsletters
Sign up for THR news straight to your inbox every day