ART WAR is the story of young, creative Egyptians, who use graffiti, art, music and optimism to try to save their Arab Spring, in cinemas now

"Art is not a mirror to reflect the world, but a hammer with which to shape it." Vladimir Mayakovsky

"Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world; indeed, it's the only thing that ever has." Margaret Mead

For two and a half years Marco Wilms’ documentary film accompanied the recently revived Egyptian street art scene, which after decades of silence, has finally found its voice again. The film charts the revolutionary movement from the 2011 Arab Spring until the final 2013 Parliament election. It describes the proliferation of creativity after Mubarak’s fall, showing how these artists learn to use art in new ways--as a weapon to fight for their unfinished revolution. The viewer is presented with a subjective realistic portrait of the events of the past years and a deeper understanding of the revolutionary artists.

The Arab Spring didn’t just shake up society to voice their demands for change: Egypt’s artists were also called on to aid the revolution. Using graffiti murals and rebellious music and films, they inspire the youth culture around the world and throughout the streets of conquered Egypt. As for example Cairo’s famous Mohamed Mahmoud Street, which after a brutal street fight in late 2011, graffiti artists covered in realistic portraits of the fallen.

After two and a half years of shooting in Egypt ART WAR is finally celebrating its premiere in Berlin. ART WAR the film reveals how graffiti art can be linked back to the age of the pharaohs and how it continues to prove explosive in terms of politics. Marco Wilms was fearless, hitting the streets of Cairo armed with a gas mask and camera.

Director Marco Wilms: "In 2011 I came full of enthusiasm, ready to film a world revolution - the dawn of a new era. But instead, it became a burning inferno. The dead martyrs of the revolution dominate our heroes' art. The artists salvage the spirit of the revolution, sailing on Pharaoh’s solar ship through the downfall of the Islamic world, from death to the shores of a new life..."

A FILM WITH AMMAR ABO BAKR, GANZEER, HAMED ABDEL-SAMAD, RAMY ESSAM, BOSAINA, ALAA AWAD, MOHAMMED KHALED, ABO EL AMIR.

SONGS BY REVOLUTION RECORDS, RAMY ESSAM, WETROBOTS + BOSAINA, CITY BAND ...

WRITTEN & DIRECTED BY MARCO WILMS

CINEMATOGRAPHY MARCO WILMS, ABDO EL AMIR, EMANUELE NICOLO ANDREOLI, BASHIR MOHAMED WAGIH, ALI KHALED, ROMAN PERNACK

EDITED BY STEPHAN TALNEAU

MUSIC MORITZ DENIS, EIKE HOSENFELD, TIM STANZEL

RE-RECORDING ENGINEER CHRISTIAN RIEGEL, TONBÜRO GMBH

GRAPHICS TITLE DESIGN GANZEER

COLORIST MATHIAS GECK

TRANSLATION SUPERVISOR ANNETTE WOLL

EXECUTIVE PRODUCER MARLEN BURGHARDT

COMMISSIONING EDITOR KATHRIN BRINKMANN ZDF/ARTE

PRODUCERS MARCO WILMS & MARLEN BURGHARDT

A HELDENFILM PRODUCTION IN CO-PRODUCTION WITH ZDF, IN COOPERATION WITH ARTE, WITH THE SUPPORT OF MFG FILMFÖRDERUNG BADEN-WÜRTTEMBERG.