MICROPHONE

Directed by Ahmad Abdallah

Egypt, 2010 , 120 min.

Centerpiece Film

The multi-award-winning Microphone takes the pulse of contemporary Egypt better than any other recent film. The poignant story follows Khaled as he returns to Alexandria after years abroad to find that he may be too late to rekindle an old love or fix a damaged relationship with his aging father. He roams his home city, stumbling upon a new and vital youth culture. A sharply edited, enthusiastic narrative, Microphone is a document of, and love letter to, the vibrant, underground arts scene in Alexandria. Through a poetic, political lens, we are taken through the back streets of a city where hip-hop, graffiti, rock ‘n’ roll, and skateboarding vie for prominence, while young artists struggle to find recognition in an ambivalent society.

In Arabic with English subtitles.

Sponsored by Associated Students of Portland Community College.