By Sherif Awad
A scene from Crop taken at al-Ahram building in downtown Cairo
The Egyptian revolution in January 25 mystified numerous
artists and filmmakers in Egypt and beyond. Since its first spark in 2011 until
today, we were exposed to many features and documentaries that looked towards
the revolution and its aftermath from different angles. The latest documentary comes
from two collaborating artists, the Danish Johanna Domke and the Egyptian
Marouan Omara. Domke is a visual artist who was born in 1978. She grew up in
Germany and Argentina and studied Fine Arts at the Royal Danish Art Academy in
Copenhagen, Denmark and the Malmö Art Academy, Sweden. She carried out a number
of collaborative projects and participated in artist in residencies at
Platform, Istanbul. Omara who was born in 1987, went to study photography at
the faculty of Applied Arts in Cairo and joined the Academy of Cinema Arts And
Technology in 2006 to follow his passion for filmmaking. Starting his career as
a freelance photographer, he showed his work in exhibitions on both national
and international level. He is currently preparing his first feature film
“Repeated Stopping” which will be produced in the beginning of 2014.
artists and filmmakers in Egypt and beyond. Since its first spark in 2011 until
today, we were exposed to many features and documentaries that looked towards
the revolution and its aftermath from different angles. The latest documentary comes
from two collaborating artists, the Danish Johanna Domke and the Egyptian
Marouan Omara. Domke is a visual artist who was born in 1978. She grew up in
Germany and Argentina and studied Fine Arts at the Royal Danish Art Academy in
Copenhagen, Denmark and the Malmö Art Academy, Sweden. She carried out a number
of collaborative projects and participated in artist in residencies at
Platform, Istanbul. Omara who was born in 1987, went to study photography at
the faculty of Applied Arts in Cairo and joined the Academy of Cinema Arts And
Technology in 2006 to follow his passion for filmmaking. Starting his career as
a freelance photographer, he showed his work in exhibitions on both national
and international level. He is currently preparing his first feature film
“Repeated Stopping” which will be produced in the beginning of 2014.
In Crop, the two filmmakers reflect upon the impact
of images in the Egyptian Revolution in 2011 and put it in relation to the
image politics of Egypt´s leaders. Instead of showing footage from the
revolution, they decided to shot their film entirely in Egypt´s oldest and most
influential state newspaper al-Ahram. Throughout the building – from the top-level
executive office towards the smallest worker – we follow the narration of an
Egyptian hypothetical photojournalist who missed the revolution due to a
hospital stay. After resuming his work in the newspaper, his life seems not
quite the same. His voice gives a personal reflection to the media ploys of the
old regime. Crop was screened in several film festivals around the world
including International Film Festival Rotterdam, festival del cinema africano d’asia
e america latina in Milano and Yamagata International Documentary Film Festival
in Japan. Co-director Johanna Domke answered these questions about her
experience shooting the film in al-Ahram and her collaboration with Marouan
Omara.
of images in the Egyptian Revolution in 2011 and put it in relation to the
image politics of Egypt´s leaders. Instead of showing footage from the
revolution, they decided to shot their film entirely in Egypt´s oldest and most
influential state newspaper al-Ahram. Throughout the building – from the top-level
executive office towards the smallest worker – we follow the narration of an
Egyptian hypothetical photojournalist who missed the revolution due to a
hospital stay. After resuming his work in the newspaper, his life seems not
quite the same. His voice gives a personal reflection to the media ploys of the
old regime. Crop was screened in several film festivals around the world
including International Film Festival Rotterdam, festival del cinema africano d’asia
e america latina in Milano and Yamagata International Documentary Film Festival
in Japan. Co-director Johanna Domke answered these questions about her
experience shooting the film in al-Ahram and her collaboration with Marouan
Omara.
Johanna Domke & Marouan Omara at Goethe Film Week
AWAD: How was the idea of this documentary conceived?
DOMKE: Marouan and I met in a time where there was a lot of
media attention on the revolution. It was about one year after the revolution
and Cairo was full of camera teams, artists and photographers. Both of us had
never had the impulse to document what was going on in the streets. Marouan,
who even took part in the revolution during the 18 days, had never considered
taking a single picture. We were both fascinated by the need of images that the
people and the media around the world had on the subject. We wanted to
understand what impact these images had on people perception of Egypt and what
it meant for the Egyptian people. Moreover, we wanted to go back in history to
draw attention on how images were dealt with in the past, and what they meant
in a political context. We started our research by interviewing photographers
and journalists from both national and international press. In a very early
stage, we decided not to use any images or people to which the narrator refers
to create a distance to them and intended to make apparent how powerful the
impact of an image is. These images are actually present in our memory like a
blue print. While we hear about Sadat´s appearance as a leader, we don´t need
to see him standing in his uniform as we can remember that. Or in the case we
have never seen a picture of Sadat we can actually imagine. When talking about
Egypt, we have an image in mind that probably resembles the picture that comes
up, when you visit the website of the magazine Egypt Today
www.EgyptToday.com though we probably
know, that this place does not exist. The interesting question is though, who
actually constructed these images and what do they serve apart from being a fantasy?
Needless to talk about the images of the revolution. Everyone has seen countless
amounts of images and videos in the media or over Facebook. In a film
concerning the images about the revolution, why would we need to show it again?
We wanted to draw attention to an internal change, that has been going on in
relation to images: the shift from an highly idealized representation of the
nation to a national image, that the people of this country actually take part
in “by whether being in it, or making it” – as it is said in the
film. This is an invisible change, which in the film can be sensed by the
viewer with the images, that he is asked to imagine in the run of the
narrative. In a way you can watch the film in three different ways: whether you
listen, you watch or you imagine.
media attention on the revolution. It was about one year after the revolution
and Cairo was full of camera teams, artists and photographers. Both of us had
never had the impulse to document what was going on in the streets. Marouan,
who even took part in the revolution during the 18 days, had never considered
taking a single picture. We were both fascinated by the need of images that the
people and the media around the world had on the subject. We wanted to
understand what impact these images had on people perception of Egypt and what
it meant for the Egyptian people. Moreover, we wanted to go back in history to
draw attention on how images were dealt with in the past, and what they meant
in a political context. We started our research by interviewing photographers
and journalists from both national and international press. In a very early
stage, we decided not to use any images or people to which the narrator refers
to create a distance to them and intended to make apparent how powerful the
impact of an image is. These images are actually present in our memory like a
blue print. While we hear about Sadat´s appearance as a leader, we don´t need
to see him standing in his uniform as we can remember that. Or in the case we
have never seen a picture of Sadat we can actually imagine. When talking about
Egypt, we have an image in mind that probably resembles the picture that comes
up, when you visit the website of the magazine Egypt Today
www.EgyptToday.com though we probably
know, that this place does not exist. The interesting question is though, who
actually constructed these images and what do they serve apart from being a fantasy?
Needless to talk about the images of the revolution. Everyone has seen countless
amounts of images and videos in the media or over Facebook. In a film
concerning the images about the revolution, why would we need to show it again?
We wanted to draw attention to an internal change, that has been going on in
relation to images: the shift from an highly idealized representation of the
nation to a national image, that the people of this country actually take part
in “by whether being in it, or making it” – as it is said in the
film. This is an invisible change, which in the film can be sensed by the
viewer with the images, that he is asked to imagine in the run of the
narrative. In a way you can watch the film in three different ways: whether you
listen, you watch or you imagine.
AWAD: Why did you choose to narrate the contemporary
history of Egypt through this form: a photographer’s narration on images taken
inside al-Ahram newspaper?
history of Egypt through this form: a photographer’s narration on images taken
inside al-Ahram newspaper?
DOMKE: Naturally you cannot make a film without any footage
at all. One day when we had an interview with a journalist at al-Ahram we got
the idea to set our film entirely inside this building. It suddenly became
apparent to us, that this immense building is the big machinery that had been
so actively defining the images that we were talking about throughout history.
At the same time it is a wonderful representation of society itself, presenting
it from top to down, from the high rank offices to the smallest workers,
displaying all sorts of hierarchies and powers structures. The narration is based on the many interviews
we carried out with photojournalists and the narrator is a fictitious character
but it gives voice to the many stories we heard. In this way it is both true
and fictive. This character, who´s “who´s name is Ahmed, but it could also
be Amr” as it is said in the beginning of the film, is the story of one
who could be many. We move through the building, where he has worked or even
still works. We look for him and see him present in everybody we come to meet.
at all. One day when we had an interview with a journalist at al-Ahram we got
the idea to set our film entirely inside this building. It suddenly became
apparent to us, that this immense building is the big machinery that had been
so actively defining the images that we were talking about throughout history.
At the same time it is a wonderful representation of society itself, presenting
it from top to down, from the high rank offices to the smallest workers,
displaying all sorts of hierarchies and powers structures. The narration is based on the many interviews
we carried out with photojournalists and the narrator is a fictitious character
but it gives voice to the many stories we heard. In this way it is both true
and fictive. This character, who´s “who´s name is Ahmed, but it could also
be Amr” as it is said in the beginning of the film, is the story of one
who could be many. We move through the building, where he has worked or even
still works. We look for him and see him present in everybody we come to meet.
AWAD: Did you face
any problems or difficulties in presenting the documentary to the Egyptian
censorship? Was it easy to get permits to shoot inside al-Ahram buildings?
any problems or difficulties in presenting the documentary to the Egyptian
censorship? Was it easy to get permits to shoot inside al-Ahram buildings?
DOMKE: Until now the film was only shown in Cairo during the
Goethe Institute Film week and on smaller occasions during talks we gave in
institutions like Townhouse. There have been no incidents from an official
side. It was extremely difficult to get
access to the al-Ahram and even more though to obtain a shooting permit. We
were though lucky with the timing of our request. It was during the first round
of the presidential elections, when al-Ahram was shifting heads of departments
all the time, to appear more open and transparent. We had a letter of support
from the Goethe Institute that passed over many desks and collected stamps and
signatures. It was a process that took about four months and cost us endless
phone calls, visits and nerves. In the end we believe that none of us would
have gotten access without the other… Johanna by herself would have been too
suspicious and Marouan would probably not have been taken serious! Our
combination confused them and they gave us the permission, after paying quite
an amount of a location fee.
Goethe Institute Film week and on smaller occasions during talks we gave in
institutions like Townhouse. There have been no incidents from an official
side. It was extremely difficult to get
access to the al-Ahram and even more though to obtain a shooting permit. We
were though lucky with the timing of our request. It was during the first round
of the presidential elections, when al-Ahram was shifting heads of departments
all the time, to appear more open and transparent. We had a letter of support
from the Goethe Institute that passed over many desks and collected stamps and
signatures. It was a process that took about four months and cost us endless
phone calls, visits and nerves. In the end we believe that none of us would
have gotten access without the other… Johanna by herself would have been too
suspicious and Marouan would probably not have been taken serious! Our
combination confused them and they gave us the permission, after paying quite
an amount of a location fee.
AWAD: What was the
feedback and comments when you screened the CROP in Rotterdam Film Festival and
other festivals? Where was it screened before and After Rotterdam?
feedback and comments when you screened the CROP in Rotterdam Film Festival and
other festivals? Where was it screened before and After Rotterdam?
DOMKE: The reactions were very positive and the audience
appreciated the alternative view on the subject very much. Our most mentionable
screening we had was the one in Cairo, where you really could feel that it
reached people in a different way. It was a very touching moment.
appreciated the alternative view on the subject very much. Our most mentionable
screening we had was the one in Cairo, where you really could feel that it
reached people in a different way. It was a very touching moment.
AWAD: How was your experience shooting in Ahram?
DOMKE: Once we had the shooting permit it was easy to deal
with the people in charge. They accepted to let us film in the entire building.
Of course there was always a representative of the public relation department present
to survey our shooting. We were
generally very impressed by the people working at the al-Ahram. We had thought
to get much more questions or reactions regarding our presence with a camera.
We later assumed that people knew that it is not easy to enter the building
with a camera so we obviously had all legitimateness. They were told by the PR
department to look serious and efficient while working. This resulted in, that
they kind of ignored us while observing us thoroughly from the wink of an eye.
with the people in charge. They accepted to let us film in the entire building.
Of course there was always a representative of the public relation department present
to survey our shooting. We were
generally very impressed by the people working at the al-Ahram. We had thought
to get much more questions or reactions regarding our presence with a camera.
We later assumed that people knew that it is not easy to enter the building
with a camera so we obviously had all legitimateness. They were told by the PR
department to look serious and efficient while working. This resulted in, that
they kind of ignored us while observing us thoroughly from the wink of an eye.
AWAD: Tell us about your future projects..
DOMKE: We now plan a documentary project that will take
place in Sharm El Sheik. It deals with the cultural confrontation entangled
between the tourists and the Egyptians working there. We are selected to take
part in the Dubai Film connection at the Dubai Film Festival in December 2013,
where we will present and develop the project. It was previously shortlisted
for the Robert Bosch Co-Production Award.
place in Sharm El Sheik. It deals with the cultural confrontation entangled
between the tourists and the Egyptians working there. We are selected to take
part in the Dubai Film connection at the Dubai Film Festival in December 2013,
where we will present and develop the project. It was previously shortlisted
for the Robert Bosch Co-Production Award.
