The protagonist of the original film, Tickling Gians is Dr. Bassem Youssef, who in the midst of the Egyptian Arab Spring, makes a dramatic decision to leave his respectable job as a heart surgeon in order to become full-time comedian.
Dubbed, ‘The Egyptian Jon Stewart, “Bassem creates the satirical show, Al Bernameg. The weekly program quickly becomes the most viewed television program in the Middle East, with 30 million viewers per episode.
In a country where free speech is not settled law, Bassem’s show becomes as controversial as it popular. He and his staff must endure physical threats, protests, and legal action, all because of jokes. As Bassem attempts to remain on the air, keep his staff safe, and not get arrested, he continues to let those in power know they’re being held accountable. Despite increasing danger, the Team at Al Bernameg employ comedy, not violence, to comment on hypocrisy in media, politics, and religion.
Tickling Giants follows the team of Al Bernameg as they discover democracy is not easily won.
The young women and men working on Bassem’s show are revolutionaries, who just happen to be really funny.