Cast
Amr Salah
Michelle Rounds
Nabil Khemir — Guitarist
Kaz Okumura Trio
Carlos Bica — Double bassist
Carsten Daerr — Pianist
OUM and Band
Arabian Knightz
Soweto Kinch
Naseer Shamma — Oud
Adam Lukas — Composer
Program notes
In building the Cairo Jazz Festival from the ground up, Amr Salah is taking a big risk. Financially speaking, it is a crippling endeavour, one that he began not in an office, but on the mattress in his apartment, with nothing but a telephone, a computer and a crazy idea. The truth is, it has a real chance of failing, but Salah is on this mission for reasons that are more personal than just business success.
As the central subject of this fascinating documentary, he shows us how the city of Cairo is a bustling allegory for free music: its energy, its heat, its constant whirl of sounds – in terms of character, at least, it is the perfect place to host a jazz festival. The question of whether Salah will succeed in surmounting the obstacles and jumping through the hoops is a gripping one, and makes this an enthralling watch.