All language subtitles for Tickling.Giants.2016.1080p.WEBRip.x264.AAC5.1-[YTS.MX]

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[Dr. Bassem Youssef] Please
use caution when trying any
techniques used in this movie.

Speaking out against
oppressive regimes
may cause side effects

such as headaches, mood swings,

sweating, indigestion,
loss of appetite,

loss of sleep, loss of home,
loss of friends,

loss of constitutionally
guaranteed rights,

death, and vaginal dryness.

This movie may not be
appropriate for all audiences.

If you are a dictator,
please leave the room now.

[thuds]

[traffic whooshing]

[vehicle honks]

Hello?

[laughing]

[laughing]

[crowd shouting]

[whistling]

[crowd chanting]

[newswoman]
Protesters are back
on the streets in Cairo, Egypt.

[newsman 1] Demonstrators
staged one of the largest
rallies in months.

[newsman 2] Thousands
of demonstrators came ready
for a new political revolt.

[indistinct conversations]

[horns honking]

[newsman 3] Violent
clashes are raging once again
in Tahrir Square.

[newsman 4]
Since the revolution
began last January,

-more than 1,200 people have
died and over 13,000 injured.
-[gunshot]

[newsman 2]
President Mubarak stepped down
nearly a year ago.

[newsman 4]
...since the ouster
of President Hosni Mubarak...

[newsman 2]
Since then, the military
has remained in power.

[newsman 3]
Egyptians are protesting
military control.

[newsman 4]
"Down with military rule!"

[newsman 2] Protesters say
the military isn't transitioning

to democracy as it promised.

[people chanting in Arabic]

[Bassem and cameraman
speaking indistinctly]

[sirens wailing]

[gasping]

[indistinct shouting]

[Middle Eastern instrumental
pop music playing]

[pop instrumental continuing]

[indistinct conversations]

[Bassem]
I became a doctor
to please my parents.

My brother's an engineer.

If we had a third brother
who was a dentist,

we'd be almost
a Jewish family.

But we're not.

[laughs]

[monitor beeping rhythmically]

My job is to cut people open...

to see what's inside.

[surgical team conversing
indistinctly in Arabic]

[laughter]

[chuckles]

[Bassem]
I love sarcasm.

It lets me cut
through people's facades
without spilling any blood.

If I could do anything,

I would have
my own comedy show,
be like Jon Stewart.

Make fun of New Jersey...
whatever the hell that is.

I would make fun
of politics, the president.

There's only one problem.

I live in Egypt.

I grew up under
the rule of our benevolent

military dictator,
Hosni Mubarak,

who became
the president of Egypt
almost 30 years ago.

That's 15 times
the average lifespan
of your iPhone,

or six American presidents,

or, as we call it in Egypt,
"his first term."

[laughs]

[newsman]
Hosni Mubarak was
formally elected president.

He was the only candidate.

More than 98 percent
of those who voted

marked "Yes" on their ballot.

[Bassem] The other two percent
of the vote went to hummus.
We love hummus.

And that was that.

We all lived happily
ever after. The End.

[chorus vocalizing]

-No. Not quite.
-[music stops]

[horn honks]

[newsman] Mubarak wants
to close the gap between

the few very rich
and the many very poor.

His slogan:
"Egypt is for all."

[Bassem] By "Egypt for all,"
Mubarak meant

that everyone is free to say
whatever they want.

And as long as you
don't piss off authority,
you're okay.

Life under Mubarak was like
literally being under Mubarak.

[people chanting in Arabic]

[Bassem]
But something was changing.

A revolution
started in Tunisia.

[chanting continuing]

And we're not
going to be upstaged

by those adorable
little bastards.

[newsman]
Winds of change are sweeping

through North Africa
and the Middle East.

The Arab Spring,

protest movements
taking root in countries

whose authoritarian regimes
have never seen such defiance.

[Bassem] Thousands of people
started taking to the streets.

I watched on TV
as crowds started demanding

the removal of Hosni Mubarak.

[squelches]

[people chanting in Arabic]

[chanting continuing]

[clamoring]

[Bassem]
I had never seen
a protest before.

[sirens wailing]

There were injuries everywhere.

I decided to go
to Tahrir Square as a doctor...

to treat people's wounds.

And I saw
two different realities:

The reality that I saw
in the streets...

and the other reality
that I saw on television.

[people chattering]

[Bassem] The media
was brainwashing the people,

inciting hate,

calling these people
on the streets spies,
operatives, insurgents.

[people shouting indistinctly]

[Bassem]
People were being harmed
just by speaking their minds.

I was angry that the media
could be so irresponsible.

They should be
the voice of the people,

not the voice of authority.

[crowd chanting]

I never imagined
that I would see
my country like this.

[Bassem]
And then it happened.

[man] President Hosni Mubarak
has decided to step down

as president of Egypt.

[cheering]

[Bassem] We won.

I never thought
I would see this day.

[scooter beeping]

It's going to be a new Egypt.

We will never have
a military dictatorship again.

And finally, everyone
will have a free voice.

[men arguing in Arabic]

[arguing continues]

[Bassem] Even though
Mubarak left office,

the media is still total shit.

They have complete freedom
of saying absolute nonsense.

They are
getting away with murder,

and there's no one to stop them.

[arguing indistinctly]

[Bassem] You turned on a TV,
and all you saw was people
screaming and arguing.

It was a fucking zoo.

[glass shatters]

So six weeks after
Mubarak left office,

my friend Tarek,
he called me and said,
"Let's make a show."

You opened Pandora's box!

Bassem is one of my
best friends and we've been
friends for so long.

And I knew he had
something interesting to say.

This is where I started doing
my first show ever.

We started the show
in my laundry room.

One desk, one camera,
and a screen with
pictures behind me.

We started filming some stuff
and put it on the Internet.

I thought, at best,
he would give us 10,000 views
on the first week.

He gave us 35,000
on the first day.

And he got us
five million views
in two months.

Everybody was
talking about him.

[Bassem] It was unprecedented.
It caught fire.

[clicks, chimes]

[Tarek] Something that's funny
and at the same time

it's really about
a serious matter,

this was something
that was very new.

I was very excited...

that people are watching me,

but it was scary.

[indistinct conversations]

I didn't know
how to deal with this.

But I liked doing it
because I was taking revenge

against the lies
and the manipulation
of the media...

and it felt
the right thing to do.

Up until then,
Egyptians were never allowed

to make fun of
authority or the media.

[bellowing]

Because when you
laugh at authority,

it won't be easy
to control us anymore.

[man] Would you
tell the people, or would
you just stop the show?

[audience laughing]

[applause]

[Bassem] TV stations
started making offers.

So I had to make a decision:

continue my stable career
as a surgeon

or break my parents' hearts
and become a full-time comedian.

The choice was easy.

[music playing]

-[bell jingling]
-[man calls out]

[toy jingling]

[man chuckling]

[theme music playing
on computer]

[Bassem speaking indistinctly
in Arabic, on computer]

[Andeel]
I remember the first time
I saw Bassem Youssef's show,

I saw it as
something on my side.

He was encouraging people
to be more critical
toward authorities.

It's someone
who's saying things

that are similar
to what we're saying
to each other.

Things that are
not usually on TV,

things that are
critical of the media

and the way it controls
the people's minds.

He's like our guy.

[Bassem speaking
indistinctly on computer]

I think one of
the biggest problems
that Egypt had before...

[purring]

This is not fun, so...

[purring]

[chuckles]

Anyways, it was very dangerous
to have a show under Mubarak.

When they sent people to jail,
like journalists or activists...

that killed hope in people,
that made people forget
that change could happen.

Since the revolution,
everything has changed.

Will there be democracy
in the future or not?

Will there be
freedom of speech or not?

We've been waiting
for something to happen.

The revolution is going
through a very critical moment.

We still don't know
who is running for president.

This is the beginning
of the future.

[crunches loudly]

-[child babbles]
-Mmm-hmm.

[kisses]

[chuckles]

[dance music playing]

Yay!

[audience cheering]

[Jon Stewart]
Bestselling author, my guest
tonight, his new book is called

"David and Goliath:
Underdogs, Misfits, and
the Art of Battling Giants."

Ah!

[Bassem] My wife
kind of got screwed.

She thought she was
marrying a doctor,

and she ended up with a guy
who tells jokes for a living.

[laughing]

[Bassem chuckles]
She's a show-off.

Yeah, just like her daddy.
[laughs]

[chuckles]

[Hala]
Hi, Nadia!

[Bassem] I hope that
our daughter grows

into a young woman
who has her own mind.

It's important to me
that Nadia understands
freedom of expression.

Right now,
"freedom of expression"
just means one thing...

pooping wherever she wants.

We'll be right back.

[audience cheering]

[man] Yeah! Hey!

The Jon Stewart of Egypt! Yeah!

What's up, man?

All right!

[Bassem mimics
cheering audience]

[laughing]

Welcome to The Daily Show!
My name is Jon...

Bassem Youssef.

Okay, okay, okay...

[woman laughing]

We're the same height.

-[woman] Yeah.
-All right.

Is that warm enough?
Because we have
a fleece as well.

-Well, the thing is...
-A Snuggie.

As a matter of fact,
I'm actually, I'm burning hot,
but I don't wanna get it off.

-Is my name in the back?
-No, no...

Let me just see
the back thing, you!

Have fun.

-[Jon] See you guys down there.
-[Bassem] Okay.

[chuckles]

[laughs]

Look.

Wow.

[chuckles]

Ooh, popcorn.

Oh, showers...

[Jon Stewart on TV]
So here's what's going on.

Hosni Mubarak was
Egypt's leader for 30 years.

He was immensely popular
amongst his people,

typically winning elections
between 98 and 127 percent
of the vote.

-[audience laughs]
-He was so beloved,
so popular, that last winter

his people demanded he take
a well-deserved retirement.

[audience laughs]

The time of dictatorship
in Egypt is done.

-[whoops]
-[snaps fingers]

[laughs]

[snaps fingers]

[knock at door]

-You ready?
-Yes, I'm ready.

My guest tonight,
he is a heart surgeon

who also hosts
a satirical news program
in Egypt,

-called Al Bernameg.
-Good luck, kid!

-Thank you.
-[Jon] All right.

Please welcome
Bassem Youssef!

[audience cheering]

[music playing]

-Hello!
-Hello!

-Oh, my God!
-Come and sit.

Yay!

Wow! You've got
live audience.

Yes!

[cheering]

[Jon] Now, you don't
have an audience.

No, we are actually trying
to do that next year.

We're going to be the first
Arab satirical political show

with live audience,
which is huge.

It's very interesting
that the medias
in our countries,

that are not that--
There's sort of
an establishment media,

and then there's what's
going on in the street,

and the twain
don't really meet.

Yes. It has been
extremely funny

and hilarious to watch
the media right now.

I mean, back in Egypt.
It's the same, we're not
very much different.

-[Jon] No.
-[Bassem]
Can I ask a question?

-Yeah, yeah, yes.
-Last week,

did you have
Catherine Zeta-Jones here?

Catherine Zeta-Jones
was in your seat, sir.

-In this seat? Wow!
-Your very seat.

[audience laughing]

Nice.

Yeah.

-[laughing]

Thank you, sir.

Thank you for coming in.

Thank you very much.
Thank you.

I have something for you.

I've got something
for you, too.

This could take a while.

Here we go.

So. This was done
by the craftsmen of Egypt.

Actually, they live
in the slums,

but they're trying
to improve their lives.

But they didn't do
the best thing ever.
So, this is handmade.

-Oh, yeah, baby!
-It's handmade.

[man] Awesome.

-[Bassem] It's all handmade.
-Look at that. It's beautiful.

I know it doesn't
look like you--

-No, this looks...
-It looks exactly...

This looks exactly
like me if I...

was going to brutally
repress some people.

You give the best gifts.
This is wonderful.

[horn honks]

[Bassem] Hello!

[applause]

My team is growing.

Since a show like this
has never been done before,

they are all amateurs.

Former lawyers, architects
and recent graduates.

We're part of
the writers team,
all three of us.

And I'm Bassem's
stunt double.

[Andeel] I'm going to be
creating the thing

that I was watching and enjoying
and being a fan of.

Comedy and satire
work really, really well

in the moments where
you're not supposed to laugh.

Like the funniest
joke ever is the joke
that's told in a funeral.

I don't watch TV, I hate TV,

but this, this is the only
show that matters.

[Tariq] The whole team
is not just friends,

we're family,
we're not just friends.

[laughing]

[Tariq] There is no
other show like this.

My whole family is proud,
and they sit and watch the show.

Well, the good
thing about the program
is that I can speak my mind

and talk about
everything that's happening
right now with this country.

[Hend] We're like
the dream team.

We found each other.

Here in Egypt, you have
to be very brave and
willing to go to jail.

So, I think it's very brave,
from Bassem. I think so.

It's very brave of him.

[Bassem] I can't wait
to start our new season.

We will have a new studio,

a new live audience...

and a new president

who I can make fun of.

[Muslim call to prayer playing
over loudspeakers]

[newswoman] It could be
a day that begins

a brand-new era
in the Middle East,

but we're really not sure
what kind of era
it's going to be yet

because this is
election day in Egypt.

[Bassem] This is
the first time that
we have a real election,

and we have no
idea who will win.

[cheering]

Mohamed Morsi of
the Muslim Brotherhood

is elected president.

I don't love Morsi,

but he would
provide great material.

He's like our George W. Bush.

[Bassem]
I think Egypt is
on a good path...

for comedy.

[audience laughs]

[audience laughing]

[laughter, applause]

[instrumental music playing]

[TV playing indistinctly
in Arabic]

Cue!

[audience whistling, cheering]

[audience laughs]

[cheering]

[laughter, applause]

[laughing]

[applause]

[audience cheering
and laughing]

It sounds like
this new Egyptian president,

Mohamed Morsi,
has got his hands full.

Egypt public prosecutors ordered

the arrest of popular
television presenter
Bassem Youssef.

[newswoman]
The Show mocked him
when he was awarded

an honorary
degree in Pakistan,

and also took aim
at the president's
less-than-fluent English.

Making fun of
the president's hats

and less-than-fluent English?

That was my entire
career for eight years.

[audience cheering, laughing]

[newsman] The Egyptian
government appears to be
cracking down on critics.

[newsman 2]
Egypt's Prosecutor
General has issued

a warrant for
Youssef's arrest.

[newsman 3] They're
saying that he has insulted
President Mohamed Morsi.

[newswoman]... insulting Islam
and President Mohamed Morsi.

[newsman 4]
That a comedian
would be a wanted man

is itself
an astonishing thing.

I don't know if they're
gonna come and get me.

And I don't want to expose
my wife to that.

So I called my wife
and told her to stay over
at her parents' house.

I'm going to turn myself in.

The people are waiting
every week to see how
I comment on the events.

We are the voice
of the people.

I need to show
them what happens
when you go after a joker.

[people chanting in Arabic]

[people chanting in Arabic]

-[audience cheering]
-Bassem! Bassem!
Bassem! Bassem!

Bassem! Bassem!
Bassem! Bassem!

[audience cheering
and applauding]

[Bassem]
The Show is working,
and people are listening.

[newsman] Bassem
Youssef is the most
popular man in Egypt.

[newsman 2] Bassem
Youssef is known as
Egypt's Jon Stewart.

[newsman 3]
Thirty million viewers
for his weekly program.

[newswoman]
Forty percent of the entire
population is watching.

[newsman 4]
Jon Stewart averages
two million viewers a night.

[newsman 5] Nobody
has seen anything like it
anywhere in the Arab world.

[Bassem] We are showing
that the government

and the media
can't just decide

someone is an enemy
and get rid of them.

When you go after a joker,
the joke is on you.

[laughter, applause]

[applause]

[thudding]

[Bassem]
The people are
through with Morsi.

[Bassem]
Morsi is stepping all over
people right now.

The Muslim Brotherhood
consider themselves

much more pure
than anyone else.

[Bassem]
They want everyone
to be more conservative.

You can't use your
religion to justify
controlling people.

People are
feeling alienated.

And with a president
working against
the will of the people,

who else can we turn to?

Sisi.

Remember that name. "Sisi."

Where was I?

The president is
abusing his power.

Morsi even made
a declaration that says

he's allowed to change
the constitution.

[newswoman]
Morsi's decision
to amend the constitution

will make it impossible

for judicial courts
to overturn his decisions.

[newswoman 2]
Morsi's move to grant
himself sweeping powers,

it's straight out
of former President
Hosni Mubarak's playbook.

[horns honking]

[Al Bernameg theme music
playing on TV]

[TV audience
applauds and cheers]

[Tarek] Watching
every episode is always
a conflict in my family.

They have a different
political affiliation.

My family likes Morsi.

Every episode I would say,

"Oh my God,
what will my father say?
What will my brother do?"

I live in a family house,
the same building

where my father is
and my brother is.

We usually had
Saturday breakfast,
and I stopped doing so.

I switched my breakfast
to be on a Friday morning,

before the airing
of the episode.

And I did this to just
avoid any eye contact
on the next day.

[music playing on TV]

[Bassem singing in Arabic,
to the melody of "Copacabana"]

Al Bernameg.
It's not a choice.

Now, it's a lifestyle.
It's, like,

this is my life,
this is what I do.

[Bassem speaking
in Arabic on TV]

[audience laughs,
and applauds]

I feel there is something
going on, and it's big.

We're expecting someone
who is very important,

but we don't
know who is it now.

Obviously
someone very special,
someone very big.

Something big will happen.
We don't know yet.

I don't know.
Everybody's running.
I don't know.

Things are disappearing.

It's Justin Bieber.
I love you, Biebs!

First, I thought
it was Morsi, but
from the preparations,

I think it's somebody
more important.

For security reasons...

Nobody says anything.

[all laughing]

-[all cheering]

[indistinct conversations]

-Let's do this, baby!
-[all cheering]

-[laughter]

I've come here
to show you my respect.

The job you guys
do is incredible.

What you put on every week
is inspiring to me,
and I love it.

[all cheering]

-Play it.
-Play VTR!

[audience cheering]

[Jon] All right.

I'm just trying to practice.

-Yes. Yes.
-Does that make sense?

Okay.

[laughs]

-[Jon mispronounces]
-[man] "R."

[man] R-A-C-L.

Can you see?

[audience cheering]

[audience cheering, applauding]

Ladies and gentlemen,
Jon Stewart!

[audience cheering loudly]

[TV playing indistinctly]

[Bassem]
Does satire puts you, like,
gets you into trouble?

I mean, what about the love
you get from the people?

I'll tell you this.
It doesn't get me into

-the kind of trouble
that it gets you into.
-[Bassem chuckles]

If your regime is
not strong enough
to handle a joke,

then you don't
have a regime.

[applause]

[Jon on TV] You know,
there's an expression,
I don't know if you have it:

"Adding insult to injury."

Yes, maybe it is an insult,
but it is not an injury.

A joke has never ridden
a motorcycle into
a crowd with a baton.

A joke has never shot
teargas to a group
of people in a park.

It's just talk.

[audience cheering]

[chanting continuing]

[Bassem]
I want Morsi
and his people out.

[man shouts in Arabic]

[Bassem] But are
we really going to install

Democracy 2.0 so soon?

[chanting]

[cheering]

[motor revving]

[newsman]
The military removed
Mohamed Morsi,

suspended the constitution.

[newswoman]
The country's first freely
elected president, deposed.

[cheering]

-[fireworks popping]
-[horns bellowing]

[newsman]
There's little question the most

popular man in
Egypt these days

is Field Marshall
Abdel Fattah El-Sisi.

His name is praised in song.

His face plastered on walls,
storefronts, even candy.

Sometimes, it's next
to women's underwear.
Sometimes, it's on it.

[Bassem] Of course people
like him. After the Muslim
Brotherhood,

we could be led
by Martians and people
would still be happy.

[laughing]

[indistinct conversations]

[speaks indistinctly]

Many girls
who used to wear hijab,
they are taking it off now.

It's kind of
a personal decision.

It's only for me and God.

I don't feel like
doing it anymore.

So, I decided
to take it off.

I work at the show because
I feel that it's a good way

to express how I feel
and how I want
my country to be.

I don't think that there is
something that we should
not talk about or criticize.

Like what's
happening right now
with General Sisi.

He took Morsi down
and everyone is acting

that he is like
a god or something.

Thank you, General Sisi,
but I don't want to act
like you are a god.

I don't want to create
another pharaoh,

like what we have done
before with Mubarak.

I don't want this to be...
I don't want this
to happen again.

[horns honking]

[Bassem] Many of us are
relieved Morsi is out.

But since he was
elected democratically,

some people are
saying it was a coup.

But the military
and General Sisi
says it wasn't a coup.

Supporters of Morsi
and the Muslim Brotherhood

started taking
to the streets.

[chanting in Arabic]

And General
Sisi sent troops in
to restore order.

[gun fires]

[gas hissing]

[people clamoring]

[newswoman]
Clashes between security
forces and protesters

who support ousted
president, Mohamed Morsi,
erupting this morning.

[newsman] Sisi's forces
fired on protesters

with teargas and then
automatic weapons.

[man] We are fighting
for principle,

-for the president we elected.
-[sirens wailing]

-Never...
It doesn't matter who--
-[automatic gunfire]

[man 2] Get down!

[gunshot echoes]

We heard that someone died

or that someone was shot...

somewhere just beside us.

[people talking
indistinctly]

[baby crying]

You don't know
what to do with them.

Someone is dying there
and someone...

and we're having fun here,

and we are making
fun of politics.

[man shouting in Arabic]

[gunshots]

With all the really,
really sad events
that are happening,

you are obligated
to comment on them.

All you could say or
do is just be like,

"Good morning, people.
Your life is shit."

[no audio]

[newsman] No one
has admitted to being
behind the bombing.

[newsman 2]
There's so much confusion
there right now

as to who really is
behind these attacks.

[newsman 3] The authorities
continue to blame
the Muslim Brotherhood.

[newswoman] The group
has denied any involvement.

[newsman 4]
Egypt is unraveling.

I have absolutely
no manual to do this.

I don't know if there's
gonna be an explosion

where people die anytime
right now, anywhere in Egypt...

or at the office
or whatever.

And we're gonna come out
and talk about what happened.

How can you make fun of it?
It's like 9/11 every day.

[newsman] Egypt has banned
demonstrations.

[newsman 2] Security forces
have locked down Tahrir Square.

[newsman 3]
...blocked every entrance
to Tahrir Square.

[newsman 4] The city of Cairo is
very much on a high alert basis,

as are other cities
throughout Egypt.

[laughing]

[horns honking]

[man speaking indistinctly]

[indistinct conversations]

[Bassem speaking Arabic]

Don't give in
to the negative energy.

[crew cheering]

[indistinct conversations]

[cheering]

This is the show
that anyone would kill to get
a seat in, so...

I wanna watch Bassem
Youssef live. I mean,
he's awesome on TV.

He gives a different
side of things.

When you're looking
at things negatively
all the time, every day,

it's nice to look
at it in a funny way.

[cooing]

[man] I didn't watch
the show much.

I was just not happy about
him using so much profanity.

I'm here to understand
what is he,

what is he going to say,
about General Sisi
in particular.

[audience cheering]

[audience laughs]

[applause, cheers]

[audience cheering]

[vocalizing]

[audience laughs]

[chuckles]

It's very hard to take
the negative comments

and to take
the negative feedback

and to keep continuing
without feeling at least...

at least frustrated
for a while.

Screw them.

[laughs]

[cameraman]
A more diplomatic answer.

Uh, I don't give a shit.

[laughs]

That was really diplomatic.

We are being
attacked by state media,

even privately owned channel...

-Yeah.
-...even the channel we are on.

[Miral] This is what's
happening right now.

It's either you like
the army or you love
the army and Sisi,

or if you don't like Sisi,
then you don't like the army.

-[woman] You're a traitor.
-Yeah.

[man and continue
continue shouting]

[laughter]

[conversing in Arabic]

[tank rumbling]

[glass pops, shatters]

[Bassem]
There's an interim president.

But Sisi and the military are

the ones really running
the show.

[newsman]
Ultra nationalist fervor
has swept the nation.

[Bassem] Lots of people
like General Sisi.

They think that he will restore
calm and safety.

[newsman] There is
a large number of people
who support Sisi

and they are eager
to have a strong man,

a military man come back
and restore some semblance
of order here.

[Bassem]
Having Sisi as a leader

just means going back
to military control.

[newsman]
Sisi and the Egyptian
military launched

a massive crackdown
on any form of dissent.

[newswoman]
...the crackdown on human
rights organizations,

the crackdown on the media...

[Bassem]
It is becoming scary
to be on TV.

[newsman]
Questions about just how free
the media can now be in Egypt

under the new transitional
government that's being formed.

[translator speaking in Arabic]

[Bassem] To Sisi,
freedom of expression is
nothing but an obstacle.

For the first time,

I feel that I'm being watched.

I get a call from Tarek,

and he's telling me
that they arrested his dad.

And I got this phone call
from my mother.

She said that,
"They came and they took
your father from home."

There's not a single accusation,

not a single proper accusation.

The lawyer told us
that there is no case.

And he thinks that...
they did that to pressure me.

I get these Facebook messages

from my "friends,"
or my older friends,

who tell me that
I directly was responsible

for putting my father in prison.

Is it because of Al Bernameg?

It's a good target.
It's an easy target.

[Bassem] Am I now a reason
for people being arrested?

-Nadia! Ah!
-Ah! Ah! Ah!

-Daddy! Daddy!
-[chuckles]

-Aah!
-Aah!

Aah... [chuckles]

-Aah!
-Aah!

[laughs]

[TV playing indistinctly]

[Nadia babbling]

[Hala]
I can't enjoy the show
like the other people do

because each time
I watch the show,

I feel really worried that...
What will people think?

Will someone, like,
hurt him for saying this?

-She can't be totally
objective about it.
-Yeah.

[Nadia babbles]

I want this to end,
but at the same time,
I don't want this to end

because I know he loves
what he's doing,

and a lot of people
are looking up to him.

[Ayman] The staff won't
come here tomorrow.

-[woman] Why is that?
-For their safety.

All of us,
we're not coming tomorrow?

[Aysha] No, we're not.

-[Miral] Everyone?
-[Aysha] No, not everyone,

but it's fine to work from
home if you want to because
it could be safer.

What are we going to do?

[tank rumbling]

[whimpers]

[car honking]

[talking indistinctly]

[all]
♪ Happy birthday to you

♪ Happy birthday to you

♪ Happy birthday to Tariq

♪ Happy birthday

[laughter]

-[Miral] Happy birthday.
Make a wish?
-[Tariq] Thank you!

[all cheering]

[woman] Let's go throw it
at the protesters.

[speaking indistinctly]

So funny.

♪ Happy birthday to you!

[crowd chanting in distance]

[indistinct conversations]

[crowd chanting]

[Bassem]
In the time of panic and fear,

satire is very
difficult to swallow,
very difficult to digest.

I don't know
how will this fly.

[crowd chattering]

[indistinct chatter]

We didn't used
to come frequently...

last season, okay?

But, like, we'd come
now more frequently

because we're a little
bit worried about him.

-I am...
-[Tamar translates]

-proud of him.
-[Tamar translates]

[audience cheering, whistling]

[audience laughs]

[audience cheering]

[indistinct chattering]

[indistinct chattering]

[indistinct conversation]

[crowd chattering]

[crowd chanting]

[Bassem] I had
a meeting with the head
of CBC and he told me

that I can keep Al Bernameg

as long as I stop
making fun of authority.

And, um...

I cannot do that.

Every single TV channel,

every single show,

they are praising Sisi,

making him into a prophet,
a savior, a godsend.

I will not just be
another mouthpiece
for the government.

This show is about holding
authority accountable,

regardless of
who's in charge.

I have to continue
because, maybe people,

if they laugh at
their differences,

they can laugh
at each other instead
of hating each other.

[Muslim call to prayer
playing in the distance]

[Andeel] If the show
got canceled for good,

that would be
a very strong message

to my landlord.

-[laughs]
-[cat purring]

This is Bassem Youssef.

He is about to be stepped on

by this giant, freaky creature.

It is a very famous
symbol of oppression
or, like, injustice.

Right before Bassem
is being stepped on,

he is tickling this giant
with this feather.

This is, in my opinion,
what the thing is all about.

You have giants who
want to crush people.

And you're just using
whatever tool or
whatever mean you have

to counter this effort.

Your thoughts, your ideas...

or anything.

[rope creaking]

[newsman]
After three months off the air,

Bassem found another network
willing to take the risk.

[newsman 2] Big test
for freedom of speech here,
in Egypt,

and freedom to be funny.

Freedom of speech
doesn't seem to be absolute.

How long authorities
will tolerate Youssef's show

depends on how far he decides
to push the envelope.

[chatter, laughter]

[Bassem] Ready?

Believe in what you do.
This is my message to you.

[chuckles]

[audience cheering]

[audience cheering]

[cheering, applause]

[laughing]

[laughter, applause]

[audience laughing]

[TV audience laughs, applauds]

[TV clip plays over computer]

[inhales deeply]

[newswoman]
Abdel Fattah El-Sisi
is already getting

the presidential treatment
from the Egyptian media.

The former army chief
commands more airtime

and more deference
than his left-wing rival.

[Bassem] Who would want to run
against the army?

Anybody who runs
against the army is
by default a traitor.

It's not fair.

[laughter, applause]

You know,
it's just like, it gets to you,
it gets to you. It's scary.

I mean, you know, some people,

for them fame makes
them more narcissistic
and more arrogant.

Fame... All that fame made
me feel is being scared
and frightened.

[newsman]
It's a new reality
for the country's media.

[newsman 2]
Dozens of journalists,
activists and students

have been detained
and beaten.

[newsman 3] Journalists
sentenced to years in prison
for being journalists.

[newsman 4]
Are we seeing
essentially Mubarak 2.0,

-In the figure of El-Sisi?
-[journalists clamoring]

[music playing]

[indistinct chatter]

[people chanting outside]

[audience laughing]

[static crackling]

There was
no signal or anything.
The TV was just black.

[laughter]

[Bassem]
I am basically in
the middle of a crossfire,

and people either love me
to death or hate me to death.
[chuckles]

I worry about being
targeted with my family.

I worry about the people
who are close to me.

And with angry,

confused and panicking,
frightening mob,

we don't know how
they will react.

Maybe it won't be worth it
to actually continue.

I can't sleep.

I'm not eating.

And now my old network,
CBC, is suing me.

They say I violated my contract

by making content
that they couldn't air.

It's a very,
very confusing time,

and I don't how
we're gonna pull it off.

[laughs]

[applause]

Because of the, um...

Because of the pressure
of making a show like this,

I started to understand
why people

under the pressure
of being a celebrity

can actually have
suicidal thoughts.

But it's not like suicide,
like I'd kill myself,

but sometimes
you think, like...

"So since we're in
a violent country right now,

"wouldn't, like,
a shot from a gun
kind of solve everything,

and, you know,
I'll be happy?"

It's weird, right?
It's a little bit dark.

But yeah...

But, you know,
it's just fantasies.

It's just like a fantasy
of meeting Monica Bellucci.

[crowd chanting]

[Bassem] General Sisi
won by 96.9%.

It was a very, very, very,
very close race.

I mean,
and nobody saw it coming.

And this is democracy.
And this is free elections. Yes.

[cheering]

Sisi, hero.
Sisi, hero. Sisi, hero!

[Bassem]
In three years' time,

we went from getting rid
of a military president

to get a president
who's even more
loyal to the military.

Of course,
a country controlled
by the military is stable,

but stability
should not be the goal.

It should be
something to build on.

Nothing has changed.

[indistinct conversations]

[audience cheering, applauding]

[chanting]

[applause]

Is political satire
now dead in Egypt?

I still believe
in political satire

once it is allowed
to be done.

You say Al Bernameg
is dead, so I'm...

Is dead, why?
Maybe it's asleep.
It's asleep now.

[applause]

[indistinct conversations]

Thank you.

I'll miss you, man.

[indistinct conversation]

Cheese.

[Tarek] Remember before
the revolution, we were scared
to talk about politics...

[Tariq] Yeah, exactly.

...when we were
taking a taxi?

Yeah.

It was really
scary back then,

because...

the intelligence
and the national security...

they ruined a lot
of people's lives.

And that all changed
in the revolution.

We hoped it would change.

No, it did change.

Not for long, I guess.

We did...
No, it did change.

Uh...

No, Bassem happened.

Bassem happened for a while,
and apparently--

-For a while.
-For a while.

[Miral] I'm going to miss
the whole environment.

It's hard.

It's hard, yeah.

I am blessed.

I am blessed to know
all these great
and wonderful people,

and I will miss them.

So much.

Yeah.

I don't think I
could have done anything
to change the outcome.

I mean...
If I would go back in time,

I would have written
the same jokes.

There was
a comedian who created

a program similar
to our own Jon Stewart.

It was a satire.

That program was
taken off the air.

That's not
freedom of expression.

[male translator]
I hope you believe me.

We had nothing to do
with that at all.

[indistinct conversation]

[Jon] For those of you
who do not know who I am,

I am the Bassem Youssef
of America.

-[cheering, applause]
-Thank you.

[Hala] Of course I'm not happy
that the show has stopped.

But I'm relieved
that I don't have to worry
that much about Bassem.

-Aah!
-[giggles]

[squeals]

[laughing]

[Hala]
I believe that stopping
the show was a loss,

not for Bassem, not for me,

it was a loss for Egypt.

[laughing]

Everything is different.

[babbling]

[giggles]

[wind blowing]

[Bassem]
A few hours ago,
Tarek called me.

He told me that I just lost
the case against CBC.

I owe them
100 million pounds.

There has never
been a fine this big

in the history
of Egyptian media.

I don't have
the money to pay.

They could put me in jail.

[tires screeching]

I just put everything
I can in two bags,

and we're heading
for the airport.

I don't know
if I'm going to be stopped.

We're leaving Egypt.

My daughter may not get
to grow up in our country.

I don't know if I'll ever
be able to go back.

I spoke with my brother.

He told me that
our dad was killed
in a car accident.

I want to go back,

but my brother thinks
that the risk is just too high.

I can't even go back
for my father's funeral.

Here's the thing.

If you are living
in an atmosphere

that you don't know what's going
to happen tomorrow,

everything is
totally up for grabs.

There are so many people
who are being put in jail

just because they
are journalists.

Or they are
banned from traveling

just because they
tweeted something.

People will wake up,
but it takes time.

The show is kind
of bittersweet.

That moment of
history will always remain.

This show,
with all the difficulties
that we went through,

was a short glimpse in time

where people can
look back at it and say,

"You know what?
It's possible."

[Andeel] Democracy is
kind of, like, lost.

It's happening slowly,
but it's going to happen.

There's no way that the giant
can just crush everybody.

Unless people...
let him do that.

Saturday Night Live!

[speaking indistinctly]

[indistinct conversations]

[indistinct conversations]

[indistinct conversation]

[laughing]

As most of you know,
my show was banned
a few months ago,

so I have no idea
why you would listen

to an unemployed
bum like me.

[laughter]

Satire was our weapon
to dissect through the lies

and rhetoric that were used
to control the people.

They used
the best-known weapon
known to humans.

Fear.

Fear works. Fear wins.
Fear is the perfect weapon.

"Hello, yes, we don't
like the jokes anymore.

-"Shut him down or you
will be shut down. Ta-ta."
-[audience laughs]

Sarcasm is the perfect
remedy to fear.

When you laugh,
you're not afraid anymore.

Those evil bastards lose.

The whole Arab Spring
concept might look like
it was a failure.

But maybe there is
a small beacon of hope.

A revolution is
not an event.

It's a process.

There is a revolution
of young minds
questioning everything.

All they need is
a space and a path
to express themselves.

Everybody can be a hero.
Everybody can be a star.

Everybody can actually
get their voice heard.

We have found our voice
and this time we
will not give it up.

It is said, that
the freedom of any people

is judged by the volume
of their laughter.

So my wish for you,
and humanity,

is to have
the loudest laugh ever.

Thank you very much.

[cheers and applause]

[rap song playing in Arabic]

[rap song]
♪ Let's find our feathers,
joined together ♪

♪ They make a statement,
gathered voices make
a difference ♪

♪ Stacked with strategy
and backed with patience ♪

♪ Despite the appetite to fight
and tactics that enrages ♪

♪ Ready for a fleet of feet
on top of faces ♪

♪ When the power's pushing down
taking advantage, you advocate ♪

♪ Against the propagated fear
and to whom we vaccinate ♪

♪ With the wounds of those
who grew up and stake
their time to coagulate ♪

♪ Our feathers gently tickle
while our folks recalculate ♪

♪ Use your words,
they are louder and more
articulate than your fists ♪

♪ If giants fear your words,
then their power is
just a myth ♪

♪ Grab a feather,
turn your coal
into shiny diamonds ♪

♪ We should all
in our own ways
be tickling giants ♪

♪ [indistinct]...
Go to compliance
without silence ♪

♪ Think of assorted voices
forming an alliance ♪

♪ Even when things are bad
we must find a way to triumph ♪

♪ It's an age-old story
of a feather versus Goliath ♪

♪ Use your words
they are louder and more
articulate than your fists ♪

♪ If giants fear your words,
then their power is
just a myth ♪

♪ Grab a feather,
turn your coal
into shiny diamonds ♪

♪ We should all
in our own ways
be tickling giants ♪

[rap song continuing in Arabic]

♪ Find yourself a punchline
other than the punches ♪

♪ Share it with the haters
who discriminating
off the hunches ♪

♪ When?
Hey! I say now!
Who you talking to? ♪

♪ Hey! I'm talking to you!

♪ When you're most authentic,
then others will be too ♪

♪ Big or small
you got the guts
to discuss ♪

♪ The poets and the jokers
and then the artists ♪

♪ A sparkle in the darkness
is really quite cathartic ♪

[rap song continuing in Arabic]

♪ Use your words
they are louder and more
articulate than your fists ♪

♪ If giants fear your words,
then their power is
just a myth ♪

♪ Grab a feather,
turn your coal
into shiny diamonds ♪

♪ We should all
in our own ways
be tickling giants ♪

[song ends]

[rap song playing in Arabic]