‘The Square’ is Egypt’s first documentary nominated for Oscars
Another work from the Middle East, the Palestinian-made feature film ‘Omar’ has also been nominated for an Oscar
“The Square” has become Egypt’s first documentary nominated for the Oscars after entering the final list of nominees, Cairo-based daily al-Ahram reported Thursday.
The list for the 2014 Oscars film industry awards was announced this week by the academy awards, and is scheduled to be aired live on March 2.
The documentary is about the aftermath and personal experiences felt by Egyptians after the 2011 uprising that ousted President Hosni Mubarak after ruling the country for almost 30 years.
The film is directed by Egyptian-American documentary film director Jehane Noujaim and stars Khaled Abdalla, Magdy Ashour, Aida al-Kashef, Ramy Essam, Ahmed Hassan and Ragia Omran.
The film won several awards such as the People’s Choice Documentary award in the Toronto International Film Festival in 2013 and the Audience award at Sundance 2013.
Another film by an Arab country has also garnered attention.
“Omar,” a Palestinian-made feature film, has been nominated for an Oscar for the second time, competing in the best foreign-language film award category, Reuters reported.
Directed by Palestinian director Hany Abu-Assad, “Omar,” is about friendship and betrayal after three Palestinians murder an Israeli soldier.
The Oscars awards ceremony will be broadcast live in over 225 countries.
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