2020/2021 Winners & Shortlists

Write a short summary of what happens in the film

'Dear Daughters of Our Land' is a poetic tribute to the female farmers of Egypt. A much-deserved and heartfelt gratitude for all their sacrifices and hard work, day in, day out. A showcase of PepsiCo’s Egypt everlasting support through our She Feeds the World program, in collaboration with CARE Egypt, under the auspices of the Ministry of Social Solidarity. A program that aims to empower women socially and financially, by providing them with the know-how and support needed to self-sustain and succeed, within an unconventional and challenging environment. The film shows the grandeur, dreamscapes of farms and nature, larger-than-life vast expanses. With extreme wide-angle shots, high-contrast black-and-white imagery. A wise man once said, “When you photograph people in colour, you photograph their clothes. But when you photograph people in black and white, you photograph their souls.” It's a human-story-meet-visual-poetry, set to the tune of Cairo Steps’ rich, captivating, original composition.

Cultural / Context information for the jury

According to the Egyptian National Council for Women, 36.4% of Egyptian women work in the agriculture industry. They don’t just cook the food, they grow it too. They feed the world. That’s why PepsiCo Egypt, in collaboration with Care Egypt and under the auspices of the Ministry of Social Solidarity, launched the She Feeds the World Program and invested 60 million Egyptian pounds (USD 3.7 million) for the next 3.5 years. The program provides technical know-how and financial aid to small-scale producing female farmers, to help raise their standard of living, create job opportunities, and eradicate malnutrition amongst rural Egyptian women and children. As well as increase the food security of the country. The program focuses on 4 regions Giza, Minya, Beheira and Beni Sueif and directly benefits 65,000 people who will in turn raise their communities’ standards of living, impacting the lives of over 325,000 people.

Tell the jury anything relevant about the cinematography.

A female farmer’s life is hectic. She works 12 to 18 hours a day. She is a ‘one-person army’. She is not confined to a 10 x10 cubical, she works in acres. The film shows the grandeur, dreamscapes of farms and nature, larger-than-life vast expanses. With extreme wide-angle shots, high-contrast black-and-white imagery. A wise man once said, “When you photograph people in colour, you photograph their clothes. But when you photograph people in black and white, you photograph their souls.” It's a human-story-meet-visual-poetry, set to the tune of Cairo Steps’ rich, captivating, original composition.