East of Noon

In an indistinct time period, an Egyptian theatre company is a front for a network of exploitation that infiltrates every aspect of life. In East-12, an upheaval is underway, led by youngsters determined to free themselves from the grip of fear.

When young Abdo isn’t digging graves or running odd jobs, he wrestles with authorities and roams the streets with a sound recorder, creating subversive audio compositions that capture the absurdity of life in the gritty industrial town. While Abdo is a classic rebel without a cause, the women in his life draw him closer to freedom. His grandmother Galala – the town’s storyteller – is in charge of protecting the realms of imagination and his sweetheart Nunna is a sex worker plotting to escape East-12 and start anew.

While the way out seems almost impossible for the angsty youngsters of East-12, subtle manifestations of sound, movement and light pulsate throughout the film to disrupt the monotony of daily life and prepare for a confrontation with Shawky, the tyrant showman.

Hala Elkoussy’s second feature, following Cactus Flower (2017), is a modern satirical fable told on 16mm. Set between a gritty industrial town in modern Egypt and an imaginary seascape, Elkoussy constructs a hyperreal world steeped in classic Egyptian film references, theatrical tableaux and experimental sound compositions.

– Reman Sadani

Trailer

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