In the summer of 2013, just two years after the Mubarak regime was toppled during the Arab Spring, the Egyptian Army has taken control of the country. During massive citywide protests, Egyptian-American AP journalist Adam (Hani Adel) and his photographer Zein (Mohamed El Sebaii) are detained, thrown into a paddy wagon, and driven through Cairo. As the van stops to pick up more passengers, eventually filling its small hold with Muslim Brotherhood supporters, Army supporters, men, women, and even children of varying political stripes and different religions, tensions rise uncontrollably. When the van is suddenly besieged by protesters, and the police become trigger-happy, the trapped inhabitants wonder if they’re safer inside or out. A box office smash in Egypt, and chosen for the Cannes Un Certain Regard, and as Egypt’s submission to the 89th Academy Awards for Best Foreign Language Film. Clash has been regarded as “powerful and very disturbing.” —The Hollywood Reporter
Director’s Biography
Mohamed Diab: Mohamed Diab was born in Mecca, Saudi Arabia in 1977. Having migrated to Egypt, he studied commerce at Suez Canal University in Ismailia before pursuing film at the New York Film Academy. He wrote El Gezeira (The Island), the highest grossing film in Egyptian history, and wrote and directed Cairo 678.
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