Sunday, 10/21, 8:30pm (Session XII)

Director/Producer: Mai Iskander 

Description: 

Every time twenty-two-year-old Heba Afify heads out to cover the historical events shaping her country's future, her mother is compelled to remind her, “I know you are a journalist, but you're still a girl!” Defying cultural norms and family expectations, Heba takes to the streets to report on an Egypt in turmoil, using tweets, texts and Facebook posts. Her coming of age, political awakening and the disillusionment that follows mirrors that of a nation seeking the freedom to shape its own destiny, dignity and democracy. Heba’s words bear witness to the heady optimism of a country on a path to self-determination, the toppling of a dictator, the difficult transition toward democracy, the courageous challenge to the ruling military who cracks down on the opposition, and the celebration of a cultural shift, where a younger generation inspires a country to “lead themselves.” 

Biography: 

Mai Iskander's directorial debut, Garbage Dreams, was nominated for the 2010 Best Documentary by the Director’s Guild of America, and has won twenty-six international awards, including the Al Gore Reel Current Award and IDA Humanitas Award. Filmed over the course of four years, Garbage Dreams follows three teenage boys growing up in Egypt’s largest garbage village. Garbage Dreams aired on PBS/Independent Lens for the occasion of Earth Day 2010 and has been screened in over 100 international film festivals. As a cinematographer, Mai has worked on TV shows for A&E, PBS, and LOGO. She has filmed numerous dramatics, commercials and documentaries, including Watchers of the Sky by Academy Award Nominee Edet Belzberg. 

Contact Information: 

E-mail: info@wordsofwitness.com/ ap@iskanderfilms.com
Web site: www.wordsofwitness.com