'Tickling Giants' - On the limits of free press in Egypt

On the occasion of the sixth anniversary of the Egyptian revolution in 2011 that led to the resignation of President Hosni Mubarak, the Cinema for Peace Foundation and the Heinrich Böll Stiftung are collaborating to show Sara Taksler's film „Tickling Giants“. The documentary traces the recent developments in Egypt from before the revolution up to the accession of President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi in 2014 through the lens of Bassem Youssef, a cardiologist turned comedian, and his popular TV show, "The Show".

Sara Taksler accompanied the Egyptian comedian and talk show master Bassam Youssef over the period of five years in order to portray the increasingly challenging state of media -and especially critical satire- in Egypt. Bassem Youssef’s comedy show united the country and tested the limits of free press. His story reveals how the repression of freedom of expression as well as freedom of the press has become a reality in Egypt today.

With the screening we hope to incite a discussion about censorship in Egyptian media and the political situation in contemporary Egypt. The screening will be followed by a Q&A led by panellists including Dr. des. Hanan Badr from the Freie Universität Berlin. The filmmaker Sara Taksler will introduce the film over a live video stream from New York.

With:

• Hanan Badr, Researcher, Institute for Media and Communication Studies, Freie Universität Berlin
• Sara Taksler, Independent filmmaker, New York

Registration required under.

A cooperation of the Heinrich Böll Foundation with Cinema for Peace Foundation.

Information: 
Sandra Nenninger
E-Mail nenninger@boell.de 
Telefon +49(0)285 34 -350