Tracks the Egyptian historian Mahmoud Sabit who inherited a palace that dates back to the royal family, as he unveils the story behind'Oil and Sand', an 8 mm film shot by his parents and members of the royal court only a few weeks before the royal Egyptian family was overthrown in a coup d'état in 1952. Sabit assembles the last surviving copy of the film, reconstructing the story behind it, members of the royal family who appeared there, and the political circumstances surrounding the film.

A film by Philippe Dib & Wael Omar

Egypt | USA, 2012, Documentary, HDCAM, Color | Black and White (16 mm version), 16:9 HD, Arabic | English | French

Directors: Philippe Dib, Wael Omar
Writer: Rasha El Gammal

Production
Middle West Films
Sarakene

Distributors
MAD Solutions (2012) (World-wide) (all media)
PBS International (2012) (Non-US) (TV)

Publicity Company: MAD Solutions
Sound post-production: La Puce à L'oreille



2012 | Hamburg Film Festival, Germany
* Screening : 28 September 2013

2013 | CinemAfrica Film Festival, Sweden
* Screening : 17 March 2013

2012 | Abu Dhabi Film Festival 2012, United Arab Emirates
Won: Best Director from the Arab World (Documentary Film Competition)
Nominated: Black Pearl Award (Best Documentary Feature)