Set in Upper Egypt, in a village called Meir, Egyptian filmmaker Maggie Morgan interviews different villagers during her visits to Meir over the span of twelve years to know the history of this village.
Netflix will release the Egyptian documentary From Meir, to Meir on July 7, 2022.
The film recently landed its world premiere at Aswan International Women Film Festival, where it also won the NUT Award for Best Egyptian Film Supporting Women’s Work. Furthermore, the film will be featured at the 22nd Festival du Cinéma Africain de Khouribga (FCAK) in Morocco.
Directed by Egyptian filmmaker Maggie Morgan, the film stars Nasser Loza, Shahira Loza, Romany Abdeltawab, and Samir El Qommos. It is produced by The Pianola, and features Zaki Aref, and Shady Fikry as DoPs, with music by Muller Hany. Mad Solutions handles the film’s distribution.
Shot between 2008 and 2020, From Meir, to Meir follows Morgan’s journey to the titular village of Meir in Assiut, where her grandparents were born and lived up until they left for Alexandria.
Through a series of interviews as well as the director’s own personal archives, viewers learn about Meir’s exceptional history. The village was once home to various influential individuals, including Dr Benjamin Behman, founder of the Behman Psychiatric Hospital.
The focus of the documentary, however, is not Meir’s history but the lives, troubles, and traditions of those who still live in the small town, most of whom dream of leaving home in search of better opportunities abroad.
