Impact Days Catalogue
fifdh
By Nada Riyadh, Ayman El Amir, Ayman El Amir and Nada Riyadh

The Brink of Dreams

Les Filles du Nil
Image du film Land of Women - FIFDH 2023
IMPACT DAYS

In a conservative village in the South of Egypt, a group of Coptic young women rebel by forming an all-female street theatre troupe. Through the building and dismantling of their primitive stage, the girls resist the classical role they are destined for, the role of an obedient pious housewife. Instead, they sing, dance and occupy their village’s streets with their critical creative performances. Their actions challenge their families and the villagers. As they grow up as women, the pressures on them to conform increase. They face the inevitable question: has the future already been written? Can women ever define their own destinies within existing societal restrictions? A portrait of a group of young women at the crossroads of their lives.

Sections : Impact Days, Impact Days
Country : Egypt
Original language : Arabic
Directors
Nada Riyadh
Ayman El Amir
Ayman El Amir (Egypt / Egypt)
Nada Riyadh (Egypt)
Producers
Ayman El Amir
Marc Irhmer
Mette-Ann Schepelern
Ayman El Amir (Egypt / Egypt)
Marc Irhmer (France)
Mette-Ann Schepelern (Denmark)
Felucca Films
Dolce Vita Films
Magma Film
Completion
2024
Impact Statement
We believe in the collective power of young women to lead and transform their own communities. The impact vision of the film Land of Women is derived from the process of making the film itself: collaboration. Our protagonists are our main impact partners. The Barsha troupe is a grassroots movement working to support girls’ rights to equal opportunities, education and artistic expression. We aim to help them build their own theatre space, the first in the South of Egypt. We want to raise awareness about the rights of girls in conservative and patriarchal communities, by providing the Barsha troupe with the resources they need to amplify their voices and support other aligned grassroots movements in the South of Egypt. So that the status quo can be disrupted through joy and creativity.
We aim to empower gender equality in the MENA region by supporting Barsha's first theatre, strengthening feminist movements, and advocating for girls' rights, fostering an inclusive, artistic culture in Egypt.
Impact Goals
  1. Support Barsha Troupe in designing, building and sustaining the first theatre in Barsha village and provide them with the resources they need to amplify their voices and bring attention to their work.
  2. Strengthen and connect other grassroots movements who are dismantling patriarchy and co-creating a new feminist reality in marginalised areas in Egypt.
  3. Contribute to building a network of multidisciplinary artists who are dedicated to gender equality in the MENA region.
  4. Advocate for girls’ rights in Egypt and the MENA region.
Impact Strategy
  • Raise funds to build the first theatre in Barsha village in the South of Egypt and provide the
    • Barsha troupe with the knowledge, connections and tools to manage and sustain it.
  • Organise community and grassroots screenings in five Southern Egyptian provinces accompanied by live performances from the Barsha troupe.
  • Produce music for the troupe advocating for girls’ rights to support the troupe’s artistic
    • development and broaden their audience by distributing it in the MENA region.
  • Mapping out other grassroots initiatives working in marginalised areas and aiding the Barsha troupe in collaborating with them.
  • Creating an interactive digital campaign advocating for girls’ rights and gender equality and encouraging girls to post their own stories and experiences and create art.
  • Designing and executing a series of panel discussions and encouraging the collaboration
    • between artists, activists, women’s rights defenders on the intersectionality between art, gender and freedom.
Contact
Primary contacts
Ayman El Amir (Egypt): feluccafilms.egypt@gmail.com
Nada Riyadh (Egypt): nadariyadh107@gmail.com
Participants present at the Impact Days
Nada Riyadh (Egypt)
Ayman El Amir (Egypt)

Organisations
Panorama Barsha Troupe

Film Funds
IDFA
International Media Support
American Film Showcase
HotDocs Blue Ice
AFAC – Arab Fund for Arts &
Culture
Doha Film Institute
OIF – Organisation Internationale
de la Francophonie
Danish Film Institute
Red Sea Film Fund

Impact Fund
Beirut DC

Organisations
Panorama Barsha Troupe

Film Funds
IDFA
International Media Support
American Film Showcase
HotDocs Blue Ice
AFAC – Arab Fund for Arts &
Culture
Doha Film Institute
OIF – Organisation Internationale
de la Francophonie
Danish Film Institute
Red Sea Film Fund

Impact Fund
Beirut DC