Egyptian film Trapped, by Manal Khaled, competes in the Informative section of the 36th Mostra de Valencia, Spain (Oct.15-24). This marks the film’s European premiere.

Mostra de València–Cinema del Mediterrani is a gathering of cinema lovers both experts and cinephiles to enjoy a special programme featuring films of great artistic value, that are seldom screened commercially.

Trapped revolves around a group of women coming from different social backgrounds who find themselves trapped within their own quest for freedom. The film tackles the broader sense of entrapment, how sometimes it is self-imposed, and how we can be prisoners of our own thoughts other than concrete walls and chains.

The women share the same dream of change, of breaking-free from the social norm, however their personal differences affects their level of awareness, openness, how they express themselves and how they rebel.

Recently, Trapped was screened at Karama Human Rights Film Festival, Beirut, and at the opening of Amman International Film Festival. It world premiered in the Global section of the South By Southwest Festival, USA, to become the only Arab film screened at the American festival and the first Egyptian one in ten years. Prior to that, it was screened for 13 minutes at El Gouna Film Festival as part of efforts to raise funds for the film.

Trapped is directed and produced by Manal Khaled. Screen Play by Manal Khaled and Rasha Azab. Trapped stars 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 is in charge of the film’s distribution across the Arab world.

Manal Khaled is an Egyptian filmmaker who studied Philosophy at the University of Alexandria. She worked as an assistant director at Misr International Film. In addition, she has vast experience working with award winning directors, including: Saad Hendawi, Kamla Abou Zekri, Hani Khalifa and Mohamed Ali. She also attended several master classes and workshops on filmmaking, screenwriting and film criticism. Most recently, she has finished shooting her feminist long documentary film An Hour or so with the American director Adolfo Martinez.