Egyptian Sexual Harassment Film Wins 'Best Documentary Short' at San Francisco Arab Film Festival

Egyptian filmmakers continue to grab global attention and awards, as The People’s Girls, a short documentary exploring sexual harassment in Egypt, has been awarded ‘Best Documentary Short’ at the 2016 San Francisco Arab Film Festival.

The People's Girls 2016 Trailer from Tinne Van Loon on Vimeo.

Co-directed by Collette Ghunim and Tinne Van Loon, the short documentary exposes the troubling nature of sexual harassment in Egypt through a series of eye-opening interviews and social experiments.

Talking with EgyptianStreets, Ghunim expressed that “We feel so grateful receiving the Best Documentary Short award. The international support to tackle this epidemic has been astounding and the way men and women in Egypt are fighting back serves as an inspiration for audiences globally.”

The short documentary was inspired after the two directors went viral with a video entitled Creepers on the Bridge, which captures a first person view of Ghunim walking down a busy Cairo bridge attracting plenty of uncomfortable stares and verbal abuse. The video instantly grabbed media’s attention, which helped both directors to fund the making of The People’s Girls.

The short is currently on an impressive run, winning multiple awards at various international film festivals, but is yet to be screened in Egypt. Ghunim tells EgyptianStreets that “We are now in the process of looking at various distribution routes, as well as raising funds to hold free screenings throughout communities in Egypt,” adding that “Individuals can support online through our Generosity campaign by clicking here.”