FILM

About the FILM

Documentary: Nasser’s Republic : the Making of Modern Egypt

Documentary: Nasser's Republic: The Making of Modern Egypt  available on-line via our Library & Docuseek video service.

"I thought we had buried him. It turns out he's still alive." —Khaled Fahmy, Egyptian historian

NASSER'S REPUBLIC: THE MAKING OF MODERN EGYPT is the first film for an American audience about Gamal Abdel Nasser, one of the Arab world's most transformative leaders. In 1952, as an unknown young Egyptian colonel, Nasser led a coup that became a revolution. Over the next 18 years he challenged Western hegemony abroad, confronted Islamism at home, and faced deep divisions among the Arabs, emerging as a titanic figure, champion of Arab progress and African liberation. But what he could not offer was democracy; instead, he established the region's first and much emulated military authoritarian regime. A man of enormous charisma and ambition, Nasser became caught in the coils of his own power, dying at 52 with many dreams unrealized. The Arab Spring and its aftermath are his legacy.

Fifteen years after completing her film UMM KULTHUM, A VOICE LIKE EGYPT, director Michal Goldman returned to a very different Egypt to begin work on NASSER'S REPUBLIC, filmed between 2011 and 2015. During this period of turmoil, Egyptians argued passionately about their history as a way to see what course to follow in the future. It is their voices—peasants and professors, secularists and Islamists—that drive this film.

"Goldman presents viewers with a myriad of contradictions before leaving them with many open-ended questions…A must-see film. Nasser's story still lies at the heart of Egypt's struggles."—Nada Ramadan Elnahla, Al Jadid "Director Michal Goldman organizes a vast amount of information in this immersive documentary. Narration by Palestinian actress, Hiam Abbass rivets us to history, its contradictions, and ongoing story witnessed by millions."—Judy Bloch, for the Washington, DC International Film Festival (aka FilmFest DC) "Accomplishes something that most media covering events in the Middle East don't even attempt: an historical context."—Peter Keough, The Boston Globe "What's impressive is how many of the necessary narrative angles are treated, raising compelling questions that resonate today. At the film's center is an officer turned politician who is photogenic, charismatic, shrewd and sometimes reckless. The storyline is crisp, the archival footage is gripping, and the witnesses—whose passions drive the story—are compelling. From a teacher's perspective, this film is a godsend."—Joel Gordon, Professor of History & Director of the King Fahd Center for Middle East Studies, University of Arkansas "Highly recommended...A compelling tale of shrewd political maneuverings, idealism and, at times, sadness. This regime's echoing impacts on the Middle East will hit home for viewers."—Michael J. Coffta, Bloomsburg University of Pennsylvania, in the journal Educational Media Reviews Online (EMRO)

"Filmmaker Michal Goldman skillfully and clearly explains for 21st-century viewers the remarkable but flawed career of Gamal Abdel Nasser. This fine historical profile is highly recommended."—K. Fennessy, Video Librarian

Special Jury Prize, 2017 Pan-African Film Festival Official Selection, 2017 Luxor African Film Festival Official Selection, 2017 African Diaspora Film Festival Chicago Official Selection, 2016 Cairo International Film Festival Official Selection, 2016 Matatu Festival of Stories Official Selection, 2016 Independent Film Festival Boston Official Selection, 2016 Washington, DC International Film Festival