Tickling Giants

As a senior producer on The Daily Show, Sara Taksler is in the perfect position to chronicle the career of Bassem Youssef, the Cairo cardiologist who has earned comparisons with Jon Stewart after becoming Egypt's leading satirist, post-Arab Spring. Such was Youssef's fearless wit that Al Bernameg (which translates as The Show) became essential viewing between the toppling of Hosni Mubarak in 2011 and the imposition of military discipline three years later by Abdul Fattah el-Sisi. Many of the barbs were aimed at Muslim Brotherhood leader Mohamed Morsi and Taksler examines the efforts to prevent Youssef from shaping the opinions of his weekly audience of 30 million viewers. But the breezy blend of monologues, sketches, cartoons and vox pops divided opinion, and Youssef was eventually forced to move to the United States with his wife and daughter. Full of classic clips and backstage revelations, this is both a fitting tribute to a brave man and his committed team, and a thoughtful insight into comedy's duty to speak truth to power.