A.O. Scott of '' The New York Times '' wrote , " '' The Square '' , while it records the gruesome collision of utopian aspirations with cold political realities , is not a despairing film . It concludes on a note of resolve grounded in the acknowledgment that historical change can be a long , slow process . " '' The Chicago Tribune '' described it as " A compelling inside look at the cascading series of revolutions and counterrevolutions that have shaken Egypt since the beginning of 2011 . " '' The Washington Post '' described it as " elegantly shot and structured , but infused with rough , spontaneous energy ; global in its consciousness but intimate in its approach ; carefully pitched but emotionally wrenching ; deeply troubling but ultimately exhilarating . " Writing for '' Bright Lights Film Journal '' , Gregory Stephens suggests the film soberly " confirms that only rarely do revolutions ' jump their tracks ' so that a new script can be written . ... This disaffection , both spontaneous and stylized , makes good copy , and good theatre . On whether or not it can lead to a new script of how government ' of the people ' serves the often conflicting interests of its citizens , the jury is still out . " '' The Square '' received the Audience Award for World Cinema Documentary at the 2013 Sundance film festival and the best feature award from the International Documentary Association . It was nominated for Best Documentary Feature at the 2014 Academy Awards . It also won three Emmys , for Outstanding Cinematography for Nonfiction Programming , Outstanding Directing for Nonfiction Programming and Outstanding Picture Editing for Nonfiction Programming , along with the Tim Hetherington Award at Sheffield Doc/Fest in 2013
2014 Academy Awards
86th Academy Awards
The Square (2013 film)