Advocacy-oriented Mini-doc Wins Thomson Prize

Written by: Murray Suid

Many documentaries strive to deliver only the truth as the filmmakers see it. Ken Burns’s “The Civil War” is rooted in this tradition. Viewers are left to shape their own opinions. But filmmakers can take a very different path and use facts to build a case for action. “An Inconvenient Truth” is perhaps the best-known example. In this second category, we have “On Raising ticket prices – if the service improves -OK.” Directed by Egyptian photojournalist Mostafa Darwish, this advocacy-oriented mini-doc won the top prize in the Thomson Foundation’s mobile journalism competition. The film, about the plight of commuters in Cairo, beat 154 entries from 55 countries.

Original in its story structure, the film’s simplicity is totally appropriate for the subject matter, bringing viewers close to the unhappy rail commuters.

The film is particularly strong in its visual images, some of which we include below.

About the Filmmaker

The Thomson jury provided the following background: “Mostafa, a freelance visual journalist from Egypt who previously only filmed with broadcast cameras and DSLRs, said a mobile phone was the only way for him to shoot from the desperately congested trains in Egypt’s capital, Cairo. Scrambling for standing space alongside other passengers, he attempted to highlight the sharp fare increases to an inadequate train system, leaving millions of already struggling commuters angered. His story used an iPhone 5s and the iMovie mobile video editing app.”

Speaking of his win, Mostafa said: “I have won many things before, but all locally in my country, Egypt. This is my first international prize and it’s a very special one for me. I’d like to film more stories in the future using just a mobile phone.”

Mostafa will attend Mojofest in June as part of his competition prize. Together with the runners up, he will also be given free access to the Advanced Mobile Journalism online course from the Thomson Foundation Journalism Now e-learning programme. Thomson Foundation’s mobile journalism competition is a leading showcase for mobile journalism (‘mojo’) talent. In partnership with Mojofest, the competition is now in its fifth year. Find out more here.