As I Want

The 25th of January 2013 was the second anniversary of the Egyptian riots which led to the removal of Hosni Mubarak, the country’s president through 30 years, from his position of power. On the occasion of the anniversary, thousands of people take to the streets once more, and these demonstrations were marred by extensive sexual assaults, harrassment, and violence towards women. One of the many women affected by this was the best friend of director Samaher Alqadi.

Alqadi, originally from Palestine, uses her camera to shine a light on the evens of that fateful day. With the help of arcive footage and heartbreaking testimonies, she examines what it means to be a woman in the Middle East today. As I Want is a personal essay documentary in which Alqedi also discusses her own role as a mother and a daugter, in the light of the patriarchal structures which surround her. The camera never feels passive, whether Alqadi is demonstrating the fighting spirit of the Egyptian women, or entering into direct confrontation with men on the streets. The result is a highly engaging and powerful documentary.

«As I Want is a film seeping with rage; at the self-entitled men who control the public spaces beyond reproach; at the educational and religious institutions; at the negligent political establishment that allowed this plague to mushroom.» – Middle East Eye

Atli Bjarnason

Director

Samaher Alqadi is a Palestinian filmmaker. Having grown up in the refugee camp Jalazone on the West Bank, she worked for the Palestinian ministry of culture before attending Cairo Higher Institute of Cinema in neighbouring Egypt. Alqadi has directed and produced several short documentaries; As I Want is her first feature-length documentary.

This film is part of