In-depth with Hadeer Mahmoud: On society and photography

CAIRO – 25 September 2017: As artists today work effortlessly to reflect the everyday Egyptian society, talented photographer Hadeer Mahmoud decided to reflect on societal issues through her camera lens.

Egypt Today spoke with the ambitious artist about her newly released project, “Love, Loss, and Longing.” Mahmoud is known for her impressive ideas and vision in retelling different stories of Egyptian society.

Mahmoud released the documentary project in cooperation with the Arab Fund for Arts and Culture, the Prince Claus Fund and the Arab Documentary Photography Program team.

The documentary focuses on the emotions of a lonely woman who lost her husband due to political issues after the January 25 Revolution, according to her personal account on Facebook.

et: Tell me a bit about yourself, how did you start your career?

HM: I started my photo journalism career at Al Tahrir newspaper in 2011, then I moved to El Watan newspaper. Since then, I participated in covering mostly political events in Egypt since the January 25 Revolution.

et: What do you like most about documentaries?

HM: By working as a photographer in journalism, I am communicating with people. I love their stories, capturing the reality they live, and expressing their problems and expectations.

et: Tell me more about your recent project, “Love, Loss, and Longing.” Why did you choose this theme and focus only on women?

HM: The idea of the project came from the repeated random political arrests in Egypt. I chose women because they are group that suffers the most, and they are facing very hard social conditions in Egypt.

I just imagined my life as a woman whose husband or loved one is in prison.

et: Working on documentaries’ topics, what are your goals behind the documentary?

HM: Showing stories to everyone, and helping the heroes of my stories, is my main aim. Receiving positive feedback from the families of the imprisoned, cheers me up a lot. Recently one of them told me they can trust journalism again.

et: Will this project participate in any festivals or competitions?
HM: Actually the project was supported and funded by the Arab Documentary Photography Program (ADPP) and AFAC - The Arab Fund for Arts, the Magnum Foundation and the Prince Claus Fund.

et: Tell me a bit about your future plans, what are your upcoming projects?

HM: I am currently working on a project about African refugees, but I am still collecting data.