The Arab Awakening

As protest and revolution shake the Arab world, this series of films document the Arab awakening, offering fresh insights into what happened and why.

We go behind the scenes of the Tunisian, Egyptian and Libyan revolutions and explore the lives altered by these events, and speak to those who made them happen.

The films piece together the jigsaw of events as they played out in the media, in the corridors of power and on the ground.

We also look at the events and debate their place in history, global politics and everyday life.

We are surprised and entertained as we hear the hopes and fearss from people across the region, and their expectations for the future.

The death of fear

Rageh Omaar examines how the death of a penniless fruit seller in Tunisia first ignited mass revolt in the country, led to the overthrow of its president and effects far beyond its borders. 

The end of a dictator

Driven by its youth, Egypt’s revolution embraced all sectors of society. As the fear barrier was broken, destinies were transformed by the tumultuous events. An examination of the demise of the Mubarak regime through the eyes of people whose lives were, until now, defined by it.

The fall of Mubarak

A day-by-day account of how a protest became a people’s revolution and brought down one of the most durable leaders in the Arab world.

The evolution of revolutions

Marwan Bishara, Al Jazeera’s senior analyst, hosts a debate on the triggers and traumas of revolution in the Middle East after decades of repression.

Seeds of revolution

A film following the activists who led Egypt’s revolution, as they attempt to capitalise on their unexpected success.

Libya: Through the fire

Through the eyes of a Libyan-born filmmaker, we investigate the dark stories emerging from a country fast unravelling into civil war.

Libya: Through the fire , is the winner of this year’s Rory Peck Award for Features

Absolute power

Those in a position to know reveal the ‘tricks of the trade’ of Arab dictatorship.

The people want …

“The people want the fall of the regime” is the shared slogan of the Arab uprisings. In this episode an array of characters from across the region explain what they want and what they expect for the future.

Tweets from Tahrir

Cairo’s ‘Twitterati’ tweeted their revolution for 18 days from in and around Tahrir Square.

Young, urbane and highly-motivated, their tweets revealed the truth of the scale of the uprising which Egypt’s state media sought to hide, and gave a street-level, minute-by-minute account of how the persistence and bravery of the Egyptian people brought down a dictator.

Note:  The book ‘ Tweets From Tahrir ‘ by OR Books was the inspiration for this film.