Mahmoud's life is a photocopy of millions of others. He worked as a data-entry typist in the same government job and never married - he lives a regular life. When he settles for early retirement, he buys a nearby storefront and sets up Mahmoud's Photocopy. Here, he makes photocopies and types up documents. One day, a student asks him to type up a report on the extinction of dinosaurs. Mahmoud can't help but begin to see some strange parallels with the state of his own life. Driven by a desire to change the depressing reality that his own lifestyle is becoming extinct, he sets off on a journey that leads him to revolt against his normal life…

Where do you see yourself in five years? A standard question Mahmoud is asked in a job interview, only to open up deeper questions within him about his life's purpose. A former manual worker in a printing press whose job has become obsolete due to the growing use of computers, Mahmoud is at point in his life where he begins to relate to the extinction of dinosaurs. Meanwhile, Mahmoud grapples with developing feelings for his neighbor, Safeya, a widow, who in turn grapples with loneliness. Their budding romance hits many roadblocks, from their advancing years, to Safeya's son's disapproval of the relationship, to Safeya's own troubled feelings towards her femininity after undergoing a mastectomy.

A film by Tamer Ashry

Egypt / 2017 / Fiction, 95 min, Arabic dialogue with English subtitles / Colour /

Cast: Sherine Reda, Mahmoud Hemeda

Director: Tamer Ashry


2017 | Festival de Dubaï
* Sélection
* Will run from 14 - 27 December, 2017. Venue: VOX Cinemas, Cinema (9), Mall of the Emirates - Dubai
https://dubaifilmfest.com/en/page/483/photocopy.html

2017 | El Gouna Film Festival, Egypt
* Première Mondiale