Rap, dance, parkour, skate and art fueled the revolutionary spirit in Egypt’s youth culture. In a new documentary The Youth Culture of Cairo, director Selim El Sadek takes us into this underground world. Using the dilapidated rooftops, desolate highways and dark rooms of Cairo as their backdrop, a group of men express their resistance to an oppressive regime against a pulsating beat.
Speaking to Nowness, El Sadek explains that the culture is built on shared experiences of anger, victory, hope, defeat and unimaginable grief.
“I wanted to film those who are still fighting amidst repression for their right to a space for themselves. The characters all play a version of themselves, one that is enhanced by the gaze of the camera, but true to their worldview."
