The Square

The Square is an Oscar nominated Egyptian documentary, which follows some of the key activists in the first three years after Mubarak's fall. The British-born Hollywood actor Khaled, Muslim Brotherhood member Magdy and the uncompromising activist Ahmad make up the central trio in the movie. We get a close insight into how the euphoria of the first days of the revolution turns to disillusionment, irritation and anger - first over the military regime, then over Morsi and lastly over the Muslim Brotherhood. Tahrir Square is the only place where they feel they can express their discontent, and they go there time and time again. They get thrown stones at, beaten and sprayed with tear gas by security forces, but they don’t give up.

It is impossible not to feel admiration for how much these activists sacrifice. Unlike many documentaries that have come out after the revolution, The Square spends more time on developing the characters than long scenes fighting in the streets, and we see how internal divisions and distrust threatens cohesion. The result is an engaging documentary with epic qualities. A must see for anyone who wants to understand how Egypt has evolved since Mubarak's fall.

“With the immediacy of a flash grenade, "The Square" captures a historical moment by inhabiting a political organism - the ongoing Egyptian Revolution, filmed for two years in and around Tahrir Square in a fashion that conveys the passion and defiance of a movement from the inside.” - Variety

Before the screening of The Square on Saturday 5th of April, there will be a short introduction with senior researcher Jacob Høigilt from the Peace Research Institute of Oslo, PRIO.