Sedona Film Festival hosts Best Documentary Oscar hopeful at the Mary D. Fisher Theatre
Sedona AZ (February 9, 2014) – The Sedona International Film Festival is proud to present a two-day-only premiere event on Saturday and Sunday, Feb. 15 and 16 with the Northern Arizona debut of “The Square” — Academy Award nominee for Best Documentary Feature. There will be two screenings of the film: 4 p.m. on Saturday and 7 p.m. on Sunday at the festival’s Mary D. Fisher Theatre.
From the 2011 overthrow of a 30-year dictator, through military rule, and culminating with the forced military removal of the Muslim Brotherhood president in the summer of 2013, “The Square” follows a group of Egyptian activists as they battle leaders and regimes, and risk their lives to build a new society of conscience.
The Egyptian Revolution has been an ongoing roller coaster. Through the news, we only get a glimpse of the bloodiest battle, an election, or a million man march. At the beginning of August 2013, we witnessed the second president deposed within the space of three years. “The Square” is a truly immersive experience, transporting the viewer deeply into the intense emotional drama and personal stories behind the news. It is the inspirational story of young people claiming their rights, struggling through multiple forces: from a brutal army dictatorship willing to crush protesters with military tanks, to a corrupt Muslim Brotherhood using mosques to manipulate voters.
The activists in “The Square” are armed with nothing more than cameras, social media, videos posted to YouTube, and a resolute determination to liberate their nation. The film is made in a cinema vérité style, giving us an up-close view of revolution from the ground. New technologies show us that the voice of young people cannot be silenced in this digital age. The characters are fighting an ancient war with new weapons.
We witness the incredible sacrifice these activists endure on the road to freedom. Through the voices of these daring revolutionaries, we understand why they believe that it’s worth risking life and limb for ideals and the future of the country. This film shows that true change in a society does not begin with a majority, but the relentless and ongoing commitment of individuals to those principles of change.
“OSCAR-WORTHY … A remarkable portrait of Egypt’s false dawns and worthy of its Oscar buzz. ‘The Square’ thrusts you right into the heart of the daily struggle they lived.” — Time Magazine
“Stunning! A story that has not yet been told with such rousing and heartbreaking clarity. Feels like a revelation.” — The New York Times
“The Square” will be shown at the Mary D. Fisher Theatre on Saturday, Feb. 15 at 4 p.m. and Sunday, Feb. 16 at 7 p.m. Tickets are $12, or $9 for Film Festival members. For tickets and more information, please call 928-282-1177. Both the theatre and film festival office are located at 2030 W. Hwy. 89A, in West Sedona. For more information, visit: www.SedonaFilmFestival.org.
