Danish-Egyptian co-production ‘Light Upon Light’ will be holding its world premiere on 24 March at the Copenhagen International Documentary Film Festival (CPH:DOX).
Light Upon Light is directed by Danish film director and anthropologist Christian Suhr and produced by Egyptian filmmaker and producer Hala Lotfy through Hassala Films.
The 78-minute film takes off from the advice Suhr was given from his Egyptian friend one night in Cairo back in 2014 — “Stop focusing on all the darkness in the world and look at the light instead.” This sends him on a journey to discover what that could mean in different contexts.
While making the documentary, Suhr and his production team also became personally involved with the project and are actually featured in the film. The film documents their journey through the Egyptian capital, along the Nile, and into the desert.
It is a search for answers; what is light? What does it do? How can there be so much darkness and light in this world and inside us? What is the significance of the light that people experience in the midst of rituals, in their everyday lives, and in their dreams?
At one point, Suhr travels to Humaithara, deep in the south-eastern desert of Egypt to attend the yearly feast celebrating the birthday of Abu Al-Hassan Al-Shazly — the founder of the Shazly Sufi Order. During the event, hundreds of thousands gather to express their love for the sheikh through prayers, songs, and rituals.
The Danish-Egyptian Dialogue Initiative (DEDI) is one of the supporters of the film’s production. The DEDI is also supporting ten other Egyptian filmmakers and cinema professionals to take part in the forum section of this year’s CPH:DOX, making it the biggest Egyptian involvement in the festival to date.
The DEDI also supported four Egyptian filmmakers in taking part in last year’s online edition of the festival.
Since 2004, The DEDI has been bringing Danes and Egyptians together, enhancing their knowledge of each other’s culture and society and their mutual understanding of one another.
