'Trapped', directed by Manal Khaled, explores the lives of a group of women navigating a patriarchal society.
Egyptian filmmaker Manal Khaled’s feature debut, Trapped, will be screened at the Unseen Nairobi Cinema on June 12, 19, and 26 at 7 PM.
Trapped centres on a group of women from diverse backgrounds who find themselves under siege. As their personal stories unfold, they reflect a larger societal siege imposed by male dominance, whether it be from fathers, husbands, society, or the government. These women share a collective dream of breaking free from societal norms, but their personal differences shape their levels of awareness, openness, expression, and rebellion. The film portrays women who seek to be understood rather than pitied, without reducing their struggles to mere issues of their bodies.
Directed and produced by Manal Khaled, who co-wrote the script with Rasha Azab, Trapped features Caroline Khalil, Reem Higab, Osama Abo Al Ata, Ne’ma Mohsen, Mona Mokhtar, Tharaa Goubail, Rajwa Hamed, Zeina Mansour, Habiba Effat, and Fadel El Garhy. MAD Solutions handles the film’s distribution across the Arab world.
Trapped had its world premiere in the Global section of the South by Southwest Festival in the USA, making it the only Arab film screened at the American festival and the first Egyptian film to be showcased there in 10 years.
‘Trapped’ was featured at several international festivals including El Gouna Film Festival, Palestine Cinema Days and the San Diego Arab Film Festival, and earned an award for Best Feature Film at Tunisia’s Human Screen Festival.
