The Brink of Dreams

Nada Riyadh & Ayman El Amir / Egypt, France, Qatar & Saudi Arabia / 2024 / 102 min

There are scenes in ‘The Brink of Dreams’ that you just won’t forget. We are in an Egyptian village where gender roles follow tradition as they always have. Here, a group of young girls dream of starting a theater troupe – so they do go out and do it. Using the street as a stage for, they find a place where they can live out their artistic ambitions and speak out against the men. No more violence against women and sexual assault. Equal rights for women and girls. Their energy and courage are infectious to the extent that you end up on the edge of your seat when they throw themselves into one of their public performances. But nothing comes easy, and the girls face more resistance than support from their families as they grow up and make their first life choices. Nada Riyadh and Ayman El Amir received the documentary award at last year’s Cannes Film Festival.