CLASH

CLASH (ESHTEBAK), 2016

Egypt, France | DCP, Color, 97’ | Arabic

Director: Mohamed Diab

Cast: Nelly Karim, Hany Adel, Tarek Abdel Aziz, Mai El Ghaity

Screened as the opening feature of the Un Certain Regard section at the 2016 Cannes Film Festival, Clash casts a glance on the events of the 2013 Egyptian coup d’état from inside a police minibus. The tension between Morsi supporters and coup supporters who are kept under surveillance in a confined eight square meter space, and the violence they witness through the window of the bus increases throughout the film. Fresh-faced director Mohamed Diab doesn’t refrain from reminding the audience that the revolution of 2011 was supported by people from both sides of the political spectrum and directs one of the most arresting films that objectively narrates the chaotic period Egypt experienced.