Words of Witness Directed
by
Mai Iskander USA, Egypt / 2012 / 71 minutes
In Arabic with subtitles
Screening
Times and Venues:
SYNOPSIS:
Back with her second feature at the Woodstock Film festival, director Mai Iskander captures the chaos, excitement and danger of history as it unravels in real time. Set in the ancient culture of Egypt and moved forward by 22-year-old native Heba Afify, Words of Witness beautifully captures the journey of a nation as the audience is given a front seat in the revolution as it moves, through Heba’s eyes and ears, from excitement, hope, and disillusionment to ultimate determination to see authentic change. The fledgling reporter records new eruption with her pad and pen to both gather and disseminate the story via texts, Twitter and Facebook.
This film beautifully addresses the complexity of change on societal, political and familial levels. Democracy is shown to be more than a word but a dynamic process that requires the critical thinking and participation of its citizenry on an ongoing basis. –Maria Marewski
BIO:
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 a hundred 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.
MAIN CREDITS:
Cast/Featuring: Heba Afify
Executive Producer(s): Tiffany Schauer, Steve Cohen, Wynne Comer (co-executive producer)
The Woodstock Film Festival is a not-for-profit, 501c3 organization with a mission to present an
annual program and year-round schedule of film, music,
and art-related activities that promote artists, culture,
inspired learning, and diversity. The Hudson Valley Film
Commission promotes sustainable economic development
by attracting and supporting film, video and media production.
