NEWS CENTER_The Egyptian documentary film "On the Edge of Dreams," screened in 2024 and directed by Nada Riyadh and Ayman El-Amir, tells the story of the "Panorama El-Barsha" theater troupe, which consists entirely of women and is active in the village of El-Barsha in Minya governorate. The film carries in its original title the name "I Raised My Eyes to the Sky," and its duration is about 102 minutes.

The work addresses the journey of young Coptic Egyptian women who aspire to act, dance, and sing, and seek to achieve their dreams in light of social expectations and restrictions imposed on them. Through art, these young women try to express their experiences and prove their right to choose their own paths.

Art as a Space to Confront Restrictions

The film does not rely on professional actresses, but follows young women who present their life experiences before the camera, and conveys the details of their journey within the theater troupe. Through their street performances, they shed light on sensitive issues, including early marriage, domestic violence, and women's freedom, in an attempt to question prevailing norms and open the field for a broader social discussion.

The filming operations continued for four years, during which the two directors monitored the transition of the young women from childhood to adulthood, the development of their artistic ambitions, and the social difficulties they faced. The work highlights the contradiction between what women dream of for themselves and what family members and society expect from them.

In the first section of the film, events focus on the troupe's endeavors to develop its artistic work; the young women try to find suitable places for training, invent improvised theatrical scenes using tables, and adopt unconventional promotional means to reach the audience and convey their voices through street performances.

Solidarity and Maturity... A Journey Toward Independence

In the "Panorama El-Barsha" experience, art transcends being a means of entertainment or expression, to become a space in which the young women explore the limits of freedom, challenge the restrictions imposed on them, and work on formulating their own voices. The conflict between artistic ambitions and strict social traditions constitutes one of the fundamental axes that gives the film its vitality and drives its events forward.

Despite the filming extending for four years and the diversity of scenes and details that allowed, the film maintains its cohesion and focus. It avoids lengthy introductions and unnecessary details, and presents the personal transformations of the young women and their shared experiences in a simple and direct narrative style.

The work is not limited to following the dreams of each young woman individually, but reveals how mutual support contributes to enhancing their self-confidence and their ability to face difficulties. Through the collective experience, the film highlights the importance of solidarity and joint work in expanding women's horizons and providing new opportunities for them.

The film won the Golden Eye Award dedicated to documentary films, sharing it with another film, during the 2024 Cannes Film Festival.