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Bootleg

Roukaya discovers sexual pleasure through sex toys and starts a risky sex toy manufacturing business in Egypt.

synopsis

Bootleg tells the story of Roukaya and her friends whose dreams of sexual bliss on their wedding nights are crushed. Talking to sheik’s, religious figures and family members, about their frustrations, they are asked to pray in order to fight sexual urges, but they fail. Roukaya gains unexpected access to sex toys, leading her husband to divorce her. With their differing social circumstances, financial needs and sexual frustrations on the rise, they decide to screw the patriarchy and replicate Roukaya’s overpriced sex toys. They start a risky underground sex toy manufacturing business by using Chinese bathtub toys and inserting an electrical vibration inside and dressing up dildos as little dolls, to mention a few. As they don’t have the know- how, they seek the help of Shadia’s half blind father to help them create the toys. After many mishaps, including minor electric shocks, sparks flying and bleeding fingers, they finally succeed. To distribute the toys, they resort to their version of “Tupperware parties”, where they teach the women how to use the toys, using frozen chicken to demonstrate the use of the sex toys, as well as other colourful methods. As women flock to their business, while the government is closing in on them, they must find a wat to safety.

Director’statement

The idea for Bootleg started out as a short script I wrote entitled Lips, then Lipstick in 2011. The idea was a reaction to the rumored disgraceful way women were treated and having “virginity tests” conducted on them by the authorities during the Egyptian Revolution of 2011. Initially I wrote a very dark short script representing the plight of women, especially that the issue of sexual pleasure and women has a lot of angles, including the societal view that women should be deprived of this right because it’s shameful and possibly sacrilegious, hence Female Genital Mutation or Cutting. I then realised that a dark comedy is a more powerful way to approach the story and that opened the gate for a lot of fun plot ideas. Bit by bit, it was clear that comedy was inherent to this story due to the absurdity of fearing that women could enjoy sex! The defining aspect of comedy for me is absurdity and being outside the box of logic. A simple, logical desire, impeded by obstacles that are illogical, so the protagonist must resort to equally illogical measures to achieve what they desire.

TFL PROGRAMME:
ComedyLab 2024

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