"The Square” Wins 3 Emmy Awards

The International Academy of Arts and Sciences in the United States announced Saturday that documentary film, “ The Square” has won three Emmy awards. The film, which documents the events of the January 25th revolution in Egypt, earned Emmy awards in three categories: cinematography, directing and editing.

The film’s director, Egyptian-American Jehane Noujaim, was awarded an Emmy for Outstanding Directing For Nonfiction Programming. Noujaim also earned an Emmy for Outstanding Cinematography, along with the three other Directors of Photography for the film, Muhammed Hamdy, Ahmed Hassan and Cressida Trew. The third Emmy award went to the editing team, Pedro Kos, Christopher de la Torre and Mohamed El Manasterly, for Outstanding Picture Editing For Nonfiction Programming.

“The Square,” which stars Khaled Abdullah and Dina Amr, has received worldwide recognition, including Best Documentary Film in 2013 from the International Documentary Association. It was also among the top five documentary films nominated for an Academy Award, making it the first ever Egyptian film to be considered in this category.

The film presents a realistic, poignant look at the struggle surrounding the January 25th revolution in Egypt in 2011, through the eyes of six revolutionaries on the front-lines of the conflict. Opening with scenes from the tent village erected in Tahrir Square, the story follows the 18 days leading up to the fall of deposed President Hosni Mubarak. “The Square” goes on to capture the dramatic and challenging atmosphere that defined the events of 2011, a year that transformed Egypt’s history forever and opened up the possibility for a new life for all Egyptians. Yet things soon change, as the country is taken over by a military regime, and the Supreme Council of Armed Forces threatens the Arab Spring.