Abo Zaabal 89

Bassam Mortada is an Egyptian filmmaker who studied film at the Jesuit Cairo Cinema School. In 2012, he produced Reporting... a Revolution, which was his first documentary. Abo Zaabal 89 (2024) is his second feature-length documentary.

Mortada’s film delves into how political activism and imprisonment can tear apart a person’s life and challenge their perception of their own identity. Through his own story of his relationship with his parents’ political involvement, Mortada seeks reconciliation and truth.

It is particularly the combination of the personal narrative and the universal struggle for justice and freedom that makes the film so powerful. Through interviews with family members, old friends, and former prisoners, we gain a unique insight into the human consequences of life under an authoritarian regime.

The film had its world premiere at the documentary festival IDFA in the Netherlands in 2024 and was also screened at the Cairo Film Festival, where it won two awards.

Director

Bassam Mortada is an Egyptian filmmaker who studied film at the Jesuit Cairo Cinema School. In 2012, he produced Reporting... a Revolution, which was his first documentary. Abo Zaabal 89 (2024) is his second feature-length documentary.