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Doaa el-Adl is one the most prominent of the very few female cartoonists in the Arab world. Draw me Egypt - Doaa El-Adl, A Stroke of Freedom creatively blends documentary, cartoons and animation to bring to life this courageous artist’s thoughts on politics and feminism as she uses her talent to advocate for women’s rights.

Synopsis

As the first woman to win the prestigious Journalistic Distinction in Caricature, Doaa el-Adl is a force for change in the male-dominated world of Egyptian political cartoonists. A rebellious critic of patriarchy, she 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. A vibrant and courageous exposé of violence against women that pushes the boundaries of freedom of expression in an often restrictive society, as el-Adl uses her talent to advocate for the rights of women, and to inspire and change society.

This film is  part of the collection Draw for Change created by Vincent Coen & Guillaume Vandenberghe

Media Gallery

Image of artist Doaa el-Adl
Illustrated image of artist Doaa el-Adl sitting on a couch in the dark, lit by a television, with a drawn cat sitting next to her.
Illustration by Doaa el-Adl, depicting a woman in a purple dress with eyes all over it, running from giant hands.
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Credits

Nada Riyadh

Director
Image of woman with long curly brown hair looking towards left with blue sky behind her.

Nada Riyadh is an Egyptian director and screenwriter. Her debut documentary film, Happily Ever After, had its premiere at Idfa, 2016. Her short fiction film Fakh (The Trap) was selected for the official competition of Semaine de la Critique at the Festival de Cannes. She is now in post-production of her second feature documentary, Land of women, co-directed with Ayman El Amir.

Hanne Phlypo

Producer
Image of White woman with short blonde hair slightly blowing in wind in front f her face. Wearing a black blazer and blue shirt in front of a gray wall.

Hanne Phlypo is a Belgian producer. Her latest productions DREAMING WALLS:INSIDE THE CHELSEA HOTEL (2022), BY THE NAME OF TANIA (2019) and GODS OF MOLENBEEK (2019) premiered at leading festivals and won multiple awards worldwide. Hanne trained as director at the Belgian film school INSAS. In 2010 she founded Clin d’oeil films and has since then produced over 30 films. The company focuses on creative documentaries and author-driven film with a clear preference for films with a social or political statement by innovative filmmakers. Today, Clin d’oeil films is one of Belgian’s most prominent documentary production companies, famous for cinemat ic films and local stories with a global impact. Hanne is an alumna of EAVE, Eurodoc and a member of the EFA Academy. Today Hanne combines her activities as a producer with part time tutoring at the Belgian film school INSAS.