CAIRO - During the first screening of the Algerian documentary Good Morning Cairo, Algeria's Souheila Battou, who directed the film, described her feelings about the ‘Day of Anger'. •How did you, as an Algerian, experience the Egyptian Revolution? Some moments in life are sacred; when religion and nationality vanish, they leave only your feelings for people, without discrimination on grounds of colour, gender or religion. I lived through the Algerian revolution in the 1990s, and, while shooting this documentary, I sometimes thought I could have been anywhere. January 28 last year is the subject of the documentary. There is a Sufi moment: my ego disappears, I'm part of the ‘we, the people', demanding freedom, justice and dignity, struggling against a fascist entity, which I won't call an enemy, since I hate this word. I'd rather call it ‘harmful'. •What inspired you to make this film? I was filming the Tunisian revolution and at the same time following the events in Cairo on the Internet. In the evening of January 25, 2011, I saw a video on Facebook of the brave Egyptian facing an armoured vehicle in Qasr Al-Aini Street. What this young man did convinced me that Egypt was ready to face the fear eating its soul. I had to witness this historic moment. My Egyptian friends didn't agree with me and said that the Egyptians were suffering from Stockholm syndrome and were so used to being oppressed that they would never act. But the new generation surprised everybody with their creativity, determination and resistance. They were determined to break free from those who wanted to oppress them by means of religion or military power. During the Algerian revolution in the 1990s I lost two uncles and many media colleagues. My fear of violence made me leave my homeland and go to France. When I was in Egypt, I decided to face my fear and stay with the people of the country where I had been living for four years. During my time in Egypt I have never felt like a stranger or foreigner, not even during the spat over the football match in Omdurman. •What is the main message of your film? No director likes this question. That's the difference between journalism and cinema. Journalism is always looking for explanations, while the image is the language of cinema. What I can tell you is that I wanted to live and document the moment when the Egyptian people overcame their fear. They lived for 30 years in a police state. •Why do you think it's important to document the revolution, and what was the most unforgettable scene? Documentation enables us to understand ourselves, our people and those who harm us, as well as the challenges we face. When watching my documentary, I noticed that there was much shouting on the Day of Anger, and I observed that the Egyptian people asked many valid questions. For example, at the beginning of the film, a young man asks: “Why was the Army deployed? To protect us or what?” This means that they already understood what was going to happen, even when people said the revolution was without a leader. There is a scene everybody has seen; the incident on the Qasr Al-Nil Bridge on January 28. The Egyptians acted very peacefully. After 11/9, the image of the Muslims was badly distorted. With the moment of prayer on the bridge, they answered the aggression; while chanting peacefully, they braved the water cannon. •When did you start making films? And what are your plans for the future? I was born in Algiers, where I lived for 17 years, before moving to Paris. I have always felt a strong bond with both countries. I studied communication at the Sorbonne and cinema at L'Ecole Superieure d'Etudes Cinematographiques (L'ESEC) in Paris. From 1994 to 2010, I worked as a columnist and reporter for Arabian and French TV. In 2010, together with friends in Algeria I created a production company called ‘Ateliers Prod'. Currently I live in three places, Algiers, Cairo and Paris. I'm interested in cinema, reading about the human sciences, visual arts, music (Arab, old and modern, classical and jazz), cooking and basketball. My next plan is to continue with my project, the other two parts of my trilogy about the Tunisian revolution and its media coverage. •Did you use any new techniques when directing Good Morning Cairo? Documenting a revolution doesn't need sophisticated techniques. As for my artistic choices, I tried to abide by human emotions during the confrontation of fear, unity, the dream of freedom and dignity. I tried to avoid recording the shocking images as much as I could, because I didn't want to serve a culture of violence in a country characterised by peaceful people. •Who financed the film, and is it going to be shown in different Arab countries? The film is a co-production between E_Post, Munira Arfaoui (Egypt) and Ateliers Prod, Bilal Al-Arabi (Algeria). It's the first co-production between private Algerian and Egyptian producers since a film made with the late Youssef Chahine, whom I was thinking about and praying for on January 25, his birthday. I'm sure he was happy looking down on what was happening in Tahrir Square. The film will be shown in other countries, starting this week in Algiers. The documentary was released in January 2012 and lasts 50 minutes. The rhythm of the Arab Spring permeates Egypt, the camera captures the Cairenes' unforgettable moments. A year later, Bonjour le Caire reminds us of the intense flow of mixed feelings, which erupted on the eve of Mubarak's departure. Lost in limbo, the Cairenes expressed the moments they were witnessing and what was happening to them; people with aspirations... but also people on a mission: the mission to change things!
