Egyptian Jazz Festival: a festival for freedom in Cairo

Political music documentary set in the heart of the Arab world, dedicated to the Egyptian civil society. Follow us on Facebook:   / euroartsmusic   Subscribe to EuroArts: https://goo.gl/jrui3M “Jazz is more than just a style of music”, says Amr Salah. “It’s about freedom.” Salah, a jazz pianist, is an enthusiastic promoter of the genre. Every year he organizes the Cairo Jazz Festival, but doesn’t view himself as a festival director: He is first and foremost a musician and fan. In this music documentary, people close to Salah such as his fellow musicians and proud parents discuss his passion. In Egypt, jazz attracts a conspicuously young audience, emphasizing the chasm between them and the older generation who rule the country. The authorities, therefore, provide almost no support to Salah’s jazz festival. The film follows him during the run-up to the festival and various major and minor problems crop up. “Egypt is full of surprises”, he observes when one of the locations suddenly becomes unavailable mere days before the festival. Luckily, as a jazz musician, he is good at improvising. Original title: Cairo Jazzman - The Groove of a Megacity A documentary by Atef Ben-Bouzid, 2017.