Egyptian cinema had a big moment in 2024 when the documentary The Brink of Dreams became the first film from the country to win a major prize at the Cannes Film Festival.
The documentary chronicles a group of spirited young girls from Barcha’s Christian community as they develop a form of street theatre. Performing amid the villagers, they courageously confront social perceptions of girls, particularly judgmental attitudes over their attire and behaviour.
Through thoughtfully composed songs and performances, they challenge their audience—some of whom disapprove of their message—boldly stating: “My body is not a sin, nor is my clothing.” In their own unique way, the girls create a quiet social movement, using art as a gentle yet powerful form of expression. Undeterred by disapproval, they persevere with their dreams.
Magda, Monica, Marina, Mariam, and members of the troupe, known collectively as Panorama Barcha, are the film’s heroines as it chronicles their aspirations and struggles over four years. It offers an intimate glimpse into their dreams and the stark realities they face in a world shaped by the opposing forces of conservatism and progressive change.
Dual dreams
This is a story of dual dreams. For the girls, it is the hope of taking their painstakingly crafted art beyond the village’s confining boundaries—symbolised in the film by its blurred, narrow, and suffocating streets—towards broader horizons, perhaps even reaching Cairo and beyond.
Filmmakers Ayman El Amir and Nada Riyadh directed and co-produced the film alongside Marc Irmer and Claire Chassagne and were able to take their message to audiences and to Cannes, thanks to funding from various bodies.
The film has echoes of previous works, including 2021’s From Meir, To Meir by Maggie Morgan. Her ancestral village, mentioned in the title, is also a community in Upper Egypt with a significant Coptic presence. Over several years, Morgan documented its daily life, revealing the limited horizons available to its youth, whose dreams often became a desire to leave. Tragically, there were also cases of suicide.
Such places are remote in more ways than one. They are prone to social marginalisation. This becomes clear in The Brink of Dreams where the girls’ dialect means there is a need for subtitles for them to be understood, with some of it translated into English to be made clear. But for the girls themselves, the transition into a more accessible dialect, Cairene, is seamless and requires little effort.
Artistic expression takes on a deeper significance in such marginalised spaces, particularly when undertaken by women. The girls deliver an unapologetically bold and articulate awareness of the oppressive realities faced by women in Upper Egypt. The film’s appeal also lies in its quiet defiance of contemporary Egyptian cinema’s prevailing norms for fictional, commercial narratives dominated by male protagonists.
New horizons
Riyadh has revealed that her own decision to seek new horizons led her to take spontaneous journeys in search of untold stories that might one day inspire her cinematic pursuits.
One such trip inspired The Brink of Dreams. To tell the girls’ interconnected stories, Riyadh and El Amir steered away from conventional interviews. Its main subjects are not seen sitting in front of the camera answering questions. Instead, the camera is immersed in every detail of their lives, providing a candid depiction of how they live. The approach took scenes such as Magda’s work selling groceries to international recognition at Cannes.
It also captures the ins and outs of Magda’s exchanges with her brother, who dismisses her passion for theatre. He repeatedly attempts to dissuade her—voicing his apprehension about Cairo’s vastness and the dizzying speed of its metro system—a world he struggles to imagine them navigating, even for the promise of a better future.
This kind of intimate portrayal of life is central to the documentary. The filmmakers’ reliance on natural lighting adds to the film’s immersive quality, drawing viewers into the girls’ lives with a rare and unfiltered authenticity.
Red brick reality
Beyond daily routines, the camera accompanies the girls to their creative sanctuary, where they rehearse and prepare performances. A playful sign at the entrance reads: “No humans allowed!” they bond with animals and nature, perform breathing exercises, and share laughter while mocking the disapproving looks they face day after day.
The film also ventures into the girls' homes, lingering to observe family conversations. We witness Mariam gradually withdrawing from her artistic dreams as she falls in love. Here, Damiana Nassar reappears, not as an actress but as a smiling, supportive mother. Known for her role in Feathers, which also made it to Cannes, Damiana embodies a unique blend of encouragement for art and life itself, as though the love for art is an inheritance passed from mother to daughter.
The film does not shy away from portraying the unembellished, bare, red-brick reality of the girls’ homes. The viewer is even jolted by the sound of a live snake slithering through cracks in the house—a striking reminder of the harsh living conditions.
And yet, amid these bleak realities come the peculiar juxtapositions of contemporary life. There are also mobile phones and internet access. Trendy clothing coexists uneasily with walls that seem to reject this veneer of modernity, posing questions about how the lives of the occupants contrast with the confines around them.
Anthropological depth
This gives the film a feeling of anthropological depth. It is amplified by a camera acutely aware of its role, persistently scanning its surroundings, attempting to reveal life as seen through the perspective of its characters – whether they are speaking, dreaming, or arguing – embedding the filmmakers within the reality unfolding in front of them, rather than observing it from a distance.
The setting is also beautifully captured, with sweeping shots of the village. There are expansive skies, the Nile River, rooftops and amusement parks. The aesthetics are often distorted. Nature emerges as the film’s central muse, a source of inspiration in contrast with the human limitations within the village.
At the heart of it all, the girls’ passion for art and their resourcefulness in bringing performances to life lights up a way forward for themselves and the audience.
As the film raises critical questions about the role of art in conservative societies—which so often celebrate concealment and invisibility for women—it also makes deeper reflections on life itself.
For the Panorama Barcha troupe, art becomes a means of claiming a larger share of life, a chance to transcend their remote village. This explains why some members eventually leave the troupe or scale back their commitments when confronted with the events of wider real-life prospects—such as marriage—which often prompts migration from the village to the city.
For those who have shared in the girls’ dream, this withdrawal feels disheartening, but its impact is most profoundly felt by Magda. Unlike others, she clings to her artistic aspirations until the very end.
Overcoming doubt
As she considers applying to the Higher Institute of Theatrical Arts in Cairo, Magda is burdened by self-doubt. In a heart-wrenching phone conversation with a friend, she confesses: “I’m afraid to fail and come back. Pray for me, all of you.” Even Damiana Nassar eventually returned to Barcha and resumed her former life after the success of Feathers.
Nonetheless, the troupe endures, including through its songs. The closing track, “Let Love Belong to Those Who Deserve It”, is performed by Monica Youssef and the Panorama Barcha troupe. It is inspired by the heritage of Upper Egypt heritage, including via the way the music is arranged. Perhaps the troupe’s legacy will also persist through future generations, who will embrace the same dream and may even bring some of it to fruition.
The Brink of Dreams is a documentary, although there may be questions about how much direction or staging went on, including how the street performances were captured. But this in no way detracts from the beauty and significance of this ground-breaking film.
