Egyptian artist and filmmaker Hala Galal talks about the revolution

I couldn't bring myself to cut any of these 26 minutes.

Known for her films on a variety of social justice issues with a particular focus on the female condition, I sat down to talk to Galal mainly about the revolution's implications for women.

While we chatted about this ("dardasha," like the title of one of her documentaries) and how she is helping to inspire the next generation of Egyptian artists to use film as a tool for social reform, Galal wanted to talk mostly about her experiences over the past 18 days -- not as a woman, not as a filmmaker, but as an Egyptian.

She and her husband were beaten and detained by police. She also witnessed the sudden death of her young sister, who she says was denied hospital care on the evening of January 27th, right as all mobile communication was cut.

"I'm not saying I'm a courageous person, but there's something else more important than fear in these moments," she reflected. "Courage is not about not thinking about the fear, but it's about realizing there's something more important than the fear. You need to defend the things you believe are more important."

More on Galal: http://www.state.gov/r/pa/prs/ps/2010/12/152232.htm