Canadian Theatrical Release by Kindness Films
CALGARY - GLOBE CINEMA
Oct. 4, 2019
Two Cultures. One World.
The film follows the journey of Tarek Mounib (a Canadian-Egyptian Muslim) who decides to reach out to the very people who fear him. He travels across the U.S. to find Americans concerned about an Islamic threat and makes them an intriguing offer: a Free Trip to Egypt.
CREATED BY: Tarek Mounib DIRECED BY: Ingrid Serban, PRODUCED BY: Tarek Mounib, Yasmin Kamal & Forest Sun and MUSIC BY: Forest Sun.
A Muslim Reaches Out to the People Who Fear Him and Urges Them to ‘Leave Their
Baggage Behind’ in the Profoundly Revealing & Life-Changing Documentary, Free Trip to Egypt
Cast: Katie Appeldorn, Jenna Day, Ellen & Terry Decker, Brian Kopilec, Jason Reynolds, Marc
Spalding, Asma Gamal, Ahmed Hassan, The Madkor Family (Ahmed, Amr, Mohannad, Nevine,
Rawan & Sara), Mohamed Ragab, Salma Salem, Tarek Mounib and featuring Adam Saleh
TWO CULTURES. ONE WORLD.
Free Trip to Egypt is a journey into the unknown, a film about the transformational power of human connection, and a remarkable experiment in kindness and empathy.
But it’s more than just a film. On this site, you can find out how Free Trip to Egypt has sparked a movement to encourage all of us to leave our baggage behind and reach beyond fear and hostility towards a kinder and more compassionate world.
"It really opened my heart and opened my mind.. something I know I need and the world needs" - Peter Farrelly (Oscar Winner for Green Book).
Opening Dates
Ottawa - Bytowne Cinema: Friday, July 19 Victoria - Vic Theatre: Friday, July 26 Toronto - Carlton 9: Friday, August 2 Vancouver - Vancity Theatre: Sunday, August 4 London - Hyland Cinema: Friday, August 9 Regina - Rainbow 9: Friday, August 9 Saskatoon - Rainbow Roxy Theatre : Friday, August 9 Elora - Gorge Cinema: Friday, August 16 Calgary - Globe Twin: Friday, October 4
SYNOPSIS:
Free Trip to Egypt takes audiences on a remarkable journey, in which an unlikely group of travelers to the Middle East find themselves transformed by the power of human connection. Tarek Mounib, a Canadian-Egyptian entrepreneur living in Switzerland, is troubled by a world that seems ever more divided and polarized. In response to increasing levels of anger and hatred towards “the other” on American social and broadcast media, he resolves to reach out to the very people who fear his culture, with an intriguing idea.
With the aim of trying to build mutual understanding, Tarek travels across the United States in order to find Americans who feel threatened and offer them a Free Trip to Egypt.
Join the Social Revolution of Acceptance + Take the #PledgeToListen: FreeTripToEgypt.com
Seeking to build a bridge of mutual understanding and friendship, a Canadian-Egyptian entrepreneur of Muslim faith, now living in Switzerland, decides to reach out to the very people who fear him. Traveling across the United States to find Americans concerned about an Islamic threat, Tarek Mounib makes them an intriguing offer … a Free Trip to Egypt.
Following a one-week theatrical run in New York City (May 31) and Los Angeles (June 7), Free Trip to Egypt will enjoy a one-night event premiere (Fathom) June 12 in 500 theaters across the country; and is also available for viewing in theaters on Cinema on Demand via Tugg.
The June 12 premiere event is the highlight of the #PledgeToListen Day of Unity.
Immediately following the screenings, a panel discussion led by celebrities and thought
leaders will be streamed into theaters to launch a discussion about how to listen and bring
more kindness to the world — and asking everyone to take the online #PledgeToListen and to
look beyond that which divides us and to bring authentic conversations to their community.
About Free Trip to Egypt … With initial reactions ranging from suspicion to hostility, Mounib
– accompanied by YouTube celebrity and racial activist Adam Saleh, a Muslim born in New
York City to Yemeni parents – embarks on a mission, traveling from sunny California to a Trump Rally in Kentucky, a small town in the heart of Georgia, Union Square in NYC … and a variety of locales in between. Eventually, they cobble together a diverse group of people, including a school teacher, police officer, Marine Corps veteran, single mom, preacher and beauty pageant queen.
All have preconceptions and misgivings but are open and courageous enough to embark on the adventure off a lifetime, arriving in Cairo, Egypt, in July 2017. The Americans spend 10 days paired with locals just as diverse as them … and possibly with just as many misconceptions.
What happens when a retired teacher and her husband are united with a young Egyptian revolutionary? Or when a Christian missionary and a born-again, former Miss Kentucky are housed with an orthodox Muslim family where the mother wears a burqa? Or when a police officer faces off with a radical, left-leaning journalist? The answers are provocative, surprising, funny, magical, emotional, revealing, enlightening and ultimately life-changing— in other words, all things human — in this profoundly original and inspirational feature-length documentary. When people look beyond their ethnicity, political affiliations, religious beliefs, economic status and connect at a human level, it’s a trans-formative and universal message for everyone to come together and join the global #PledgeToListen initiative,
a social media revolution of acceptance.
From Kindness Films, Free Trip to Egypt was created by Tarek Mounib; directed by Ingrid Serban, an award-winning, Romanian-born filmmaker who splits her time living and working in San Francisco and Paris; and produced by Mounib, British-Egyptian filmmaker Yasmin Kamal and San Francisco/Paris-based singer-songwriter Forest Sun, who composed the soundtrack, writing and performing original music.
Embarking on the journey were … Katie Appeldorn — Originally from Norfolk, Neb., where she “grew up in the Bible belt and there wasn’t a whole lot of diversity,” Appeldorn now lives in Casa Grande, Ariz. (moving soon to Palo Alto, Calif., for her work). A former Corporal in the Marine Corps, working as a photojournalist, the 38-year-old is now a single mom of two boys who works as a proposal specialist to secure government contracts for the California-based Electric Power Research Institute. “My mom thought this was some kind of ploy to sell me into sex slavery,” she recalls. “My brother told me I was going to be beheaded.” HOSTED BY: Asmaa Gamal, a freelance photo journalist in Egypt.
Join the conversation and the #PledgeToListen at www.FreeTripToEgypt.com
About Kindness Films:
With a goal of launching a sincere dialogue and a better understanding of different points of view, Kindness Films is focused on creating projects that contribute to the well being of humanity and bringing people together of various backgrounds and cultures. A successful software entrepreneur of Egyptian heritage who has lived in Zurich, Switzerland, for the past 15 years, founder Tarek Mounib – who recalls being the only Muslim family in his neighborhood growing up in the ‘70s in Halifax, Canada – launched the non-partisan production company in 2017 with the genesis of an idea: A dream to build bridges through kindness and document the journey in a film. What happened next was beyond his wildest dreams … and resulted in a most unusual journey. Visit at: www.KindnessFilms.org.
https://www.freetriptoegypt.com/
Courtesy of Taro PR