{
  "id": 11505440,
  "title": "Watching Egypt's 2027 Oscars entry made me rethink my family's history",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/02/watching-egypts-2027-oscars-entry-made-me-rethink-my-familys-history-11505440",
  "topic": "culture",
  "section": "Culture",
  "published": "2026-10-02T18:01:00.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "The National UAE",
    "slug": "the-national-uae",
    "url": "https://www.thenationalnews.com/arts-culture/film-tv/2026/10/02/watching-egypts-2027-oscars-entry-made-me-rethink-my-familys-history/"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "I vividly remember being eight years old when I first learned about Egypt's October 6 War. My father, whom I affectionately call \"baba,\" spoke about it with great pride. I can still recall his infectious smile. My grandfather, Gedo, shared fragments of his memories as a mechanical engineer working on BM-21 Grad rocket launchers. Every year, around the anniversary of the war, my Arabic teacher assigned an essay on the triumph, teaching us to write about victory before we fully understood it. In high school, my history professor challenged this portrayal, introducing alternative accounts that clashed with our established narratives. At the time, I viewed this introduction as an intrusion into our cherished history, rather than an opportunity to reconsider it. Years later, I encountered actor Amir El-Masry at an Egyptian restaurant in Cairo's prestigious Zamalek area, just after his role in The Crown. I asked for a selfie, and I realize now that I followed his career thereafter, not only due to his talent but also because of that initial encounter. When The Stories, Egypt's 2027 Oscars submission, featuring El-Masry as the lead, was released, I eagerly watched it, eager to explore questions I had never previously considered. Abu Bakr Shawky's semi-autobiographical anthology drama plunges us into the vibrant, chaotic world of Ahmed, El-Masry's character, an aspiring pianist, from the very first scene. Ahmed's classical symphonies contrast starkly with the cacophony of a family attempting to navigate Egypt's ever-changing political landscape from the late 1960s to the 1980s. As the story progresses, Cairo gradually transforms from merely being a backdrop to becoming an integral part of the narrative. The film revolves around a tender love story between Ahmed and his Austrian pen pal, Elizabeth, or \"Liz\" as he affectionately calls her. \"The Stories\" does not delve into major plot twists or heroic revelations; instead, it focuses on the nuances of everyday life, the heartbreak of losing a loved one, the rituals of a family, and the fears and aspirations that often elude history textbooks. It is a tale of a regular family navigating Egypt. As I watched the film, I began to reflect on my own family history. The Stories served as an invitation to examine the fragments of the bigger picture, the details that get lost amidst the dates and battles. I had never asked Gedo how he felt about leaving his wife and toddler to fight in the war. Nor had I inquired about my grandmother's departure from her home city of Suez in 1967, the year of El Naksa, the Six-Day War with Israel. I had never asked them about their feelings of fear, anxiety, or what they anticipated would transpire. These profound emotions can easily be overshadowed by military marches and nationalistic slogans, making the human side of history all too easy to overlook. That realization dawned upon me after watching \"The Stories.\" I had undoubtedly learned the history, but I had not delved deeply enough into the lives of the people who lived through it. By the time I discerned which questions to ask, it was somewhat too late.",
  "summary": "I was eight when I first learnt about the October 6 War, Egypt’s great triumph in modern history, fought in 1973. My father – baba as I call him – spoke about it with so much pride. I can still see the smile on his face. Gedo, my grandfather, gave me fragments of what he remembered from his time as a mechanical engineer working on the BM-21 Grad rocket launchers. Every year, around the…",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 2,
    "also_reported_by": [
      {
        "outlet": "The National Business",
        "title": "Watching Egypt's 2027 Oscars entry made me rethink my family's history",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/02/watching-egypts-2027-oscars-entry-made-me-rethink-my-familys-history",
        "published": "2026-10-02T18:01:00.000Z"
      }
    ]
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}