Doaa el-Adl is one of the most prominent of the very few female cartoonists in the Arab world. As the first woman to win the prestigious Journalistic Distinction in Caricature, el-Adl is a force for change in the male-dominated world of Egyptian political cartoonists. This documentary is a vibrant and eye-opening exposé of the inherent dangers and challenges faced by graphic artists in this profession: a rebellious critic of patriarchy, Doaa el-Adl courageously faces daily critique, censorship, intimidation, and death threats for her art.
Egyptian director Nada Riyadh brings el-Adl‘s most famous works to life in a creative and exciting mix of documentary, cartoon, and animation. Pushing the boundaries of freedom in an often restrictive society, el-Adl uses her talent to critique violence against women and advocate for women’s rights, to inspire, and to bring change in Egyptian society.
This film will be preceded by two shorts: Facing the Storm: The Indigenous Response to Climate Change (Episode 1 Mazaska Talks) and The Smallest Power, together showcasing voices for change around the world.
Presented by
Media Partner
Community Partner
Doaa El-Adl
Belgium/France/Luxembourg
2023
In Arabic with English subtitles
Sexual language
Open to youth!
Book Tickets
Indigenous & Community Access
Indigenous Access Tickets Community Access Tickets Ticket Donation Requests
Credits & Director
Executive Producer
Salma Abdalla, Sigrid Dyekjaer
Producer
Hanne Phlypo, Estelle Robin You, Marion Guth, François Le Gall, Femke Wolting, Bruno Felix
Screenwriter
Nada Riyadh, Vincent Coen, Guillaume Vandenberghe
Cinematography
Karen Vázquez Guadarrama
ANIM
L’Incroyable Studio
Editor
Geert Veuskens, Frédéric Fichefet, Karima Saïdi, Lenka Fillnerova
Original Music
Catherine Kontz
Nada Riyadh
Nada Riyadh is a film director/producer based in Cairo, Egypt. Her debut documentary film Happily Ever After premiered at IDFA in 2016. Her short fiction Fakh (The Trap) was selected for Semaine de la Critique at Cannes in 2019. Nada co-founded the Cairo-based production company Felucca Films, aiming to help filmmakers from the MENA region explore and shape their own personal voices. She is now in post-production of her second feature documentary, Land of Women, co-directed with Ayman El Amir.
Filmography: Happily Ever After (2016); Grenzenlos (2018); The Brink of Dreams (2024)
Missing VIFF? Check Out What's Playing at the VIFF Centre
You Had to Be There
In a strange quirk of fate, the legendary Toronto '72 production of the musical comedy Jesus hit Godspell launched a constellation of comedy stars, all unknown at the time but now known to us as Martin Short, Eugene Levy, Dave Thomas, Victor Garber, et al
The Arvind Ramdas Connections Quartet + The Connection
Arvind Ramdas and a stellar line up of musicians (Cory Weeds!) pay tribute to Freddie Redd's hard bop score to the seminal indie movie The Connection (1961) in this VanJazz co-presentation. Live music at 7:00 pm, film at approximately 8:15 pm.
Atonement
A former Marine suffering from PTSD seeks a meeting with the Iraqi family to which he did great wrong ten years earlier in the Gulf War. Atonement navigates challenging, politically-charged psychological territory with diligence and sensitivity.
Day of Wrath
Anna, the young second wife of a well-respected but much older pastor, falls in love with her stepson when he returns to their small seventeenth-century village. Stepping outside the bounds of the village's harsh moral code has disastrous results.
Knife: The Attempted Murder of Salman Rushdie
Alex Gibney's doc relates the near-lethal attack on Salman Rushdie in 2022, the writer's painful rehab and recovery, and his reflections on life before, during and after the publication of The Satanic Verses.
House of Hope
"House of Hope" is the name of a Waldorf elementary school near Jerusalem in the occupied West Bank, founded by Manar and her husband Milad. This documentary follows their efforts to go about their lives before, during, and after the events of October 7.