The republic of 25 January is the third republic that was born from many events and interactions that have been accumulated over many years, as if they were woven for that purpose.
Many forms of art incessantly pointed to the suffering of the people, who have been destined to remain in a struggle against a foreign occupier, a tyrant or a corrupt official, who have all made their lives too difficult.
The cinema industry had the lion's share of this role, as movies have always tried to portray political reality.
In his book “The Way to the 25 January Cinema,” film critic Mohamed Badr Eddin wrote a whole chapter about movies that have predicted and paved the way for the 25 January revolution.
Hereinbelow are some of those movies:
‘The Return of the Prodigal Son’
The film purportedly predicted the 25 January and the 30 June revolutions, as well as their subsequent fight of the capitalists to regain domination. Actor Ali al-Sherif, who symbolizes the capitalists in the film, orders the people to stay at home, but they tell him they will take to the streets because the streets belong to the people.
The younger generation, especially the children of the working class that actress Magda al-Roumy symbolizes, challenge the capitalists, from whom her lover descends and of whom he himself is a victim. He is played by Hisham Selim, the prodigal son who returns from a trip fails to bring good to Egypt. He is invited to join the plea of the new generation, but his frustration and hesitation prevent him.
The story ends with a big massacre that symbolizes the state of the Arab world. And one year later, the people took to the streets on 18 and 19 January 1977, the most popular revolutionary event before the 25 January revolution.
‘Birds of Darkness’
This drama strongly represents Egypt under Mubarak. It depicts a conflict of forces that have unlimited ambitions to exploit the wealth and the people of Egypt. it talks about an authority that control and loots the nation, the National Democratic Party at the time that is symbolized by actor Gamil Rateb, who is a minister, and actor Adel Imam, who is his assistant, against an authority that seeks to dominate in the name of religion, symbolized by actor Riyad al-Kholy.
The prophetic football scene at the end could symbolize the 25 January revolution, where the ball was rolling between two sides, each wondering who will win in the end and set the rules of the game.
‘The Night That Baghdad Fell’
The film sheds light on the cowardice of the former regime in Egypt and tackled a fear that was prevalent in the Arab world at the time that anyone in the region could also be invaded by the United States like Baghdad.
Actor Hassan Hosny is a schoolmaster who believes that the danger could only be faced with knowledge. So he picks a few of his best students who invent weapons that can repel the invasion of the American enemies.
‘The Yacoubian Building’
Badr Eddin says this in film is an artistic, political and intellectual work that documents the Mubarak era. It shows the bitter and dreary reality of the people.
‘Cut and Paste’
Although the film does not talk about politics, it is still a political film to the core, says Badr Eddin. It describes the suffering of the young generation that always feels it is suffocating from living in the bottle neck.
‘Chaos’
Badr Eddin says the film is about the suppression of the security services as seen through a corrupt policeman named Hatem, yet in fact it is about the suppression of the Mubarak regime. It ends with a popular uprising that grabs rights by force.
‘Hena Maysara’
The film depicts the poor who live in shantytowns and who are crushed by the rich who live in high class areas.
‘Dokkan Shehata’
The film depicts Mubarak’s rule since 1981 and and predicts a popular uprising against him if he stays in power.
‘Messages from the Sea’
The film embodies the greed that started with Sadat’s open door policy and extended throughout Mubarak’s rule. The sea is symbolic for the life we live and the messages are the questions we ask ourselves.
‘Two Girls from Egypt’
The film tackles the problem of more than 10 million spinsters who cannot find marriage due to social and economic problems created by an ugly, political reality.
‘El Fayoumi’
The film talks about the late poet Ahmed Fouad Negm who lived opposing the Sadat and Mubarak regimes from 1973 to 2011. It ends with the 25 January revolution.
Edited translation from Al-Masry Al-Youm
