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The Winter of Oscar Wins?

Amr Waked and Ibrahim El Batout's movie, Winter of Discontent, is the first Egyptian film to be submitted for consideration for an Oscar nomination since the 2011 revolution.

Staff Writer

A surprising yet very significant choice has been made by our Ministry of Culture that has us here at CairoScene thinking we're and them are eed wahda. The ministry has officially submitted independent  movie Winter of Discontent, by Amr Waked and Ibrahim El Batout, as Egypt's candidate in this year’s Foreign Film category at the Oscars. This will be the first submission by the ministry since the January 25th revolution and is a welcome sign that Egypt’s cultural development may be back on track.

Winter of Discontent is a gritty and graphic depiction of Egyptian life during the Mubarak years, and follows the attempts of the secret police to quash the 2011 uprising. “The film not only documents perhaps the most important event in Egypt’s modern history, but it imparts knowledge on the viewers from a more personable and intimate angle,” Waked told us when we interviewed him and El Batout at the official pre-release press conference, just over a year ago. The film has been playing well abroad with the help of Waked’s celebrity, his activism and his efforts in promoting the movies.

“This is a politically reassuring choice,” says Waked of the film’s submission. “Without January 25, we would not have June 30.” Waked, like many Egyptians, supports the military crackdown. ”Artistically, we are very proud. It’s a work we put so much energy into, and this adds to the fact that all our efforts to make this film were not made in vain,” he added.

The Oscar nominations will be announced on January 26th, 2014 and we at CairoScene can't wait.

To find out more about Winter of Discontent check out our interview with Amr Waked and Ibrahim El Batout here.