Seif Tagreeby follows Mahmoud and Zeinab in their search for the original version of the first Egyptian independent film of the same name produced in the 1980s. All copies of the film were either destroyed or confiscated by the Government Film Agency, an institute that governed the production and distribution of film at the time. In response, Egyptian filmmakers created their own versions of the film, all under the name Seif Tagreeby.
The importance of Seif Tagreeby comes not only from being the first independently produced film, but also because of its alternative and guerilla distribution. To fight the Government Film Agency the filmmakers screened the film in cafés, shop windows, and video clubs without state permits. In their search the two friends find that 23 different versions existed, all of them shot in winter and following a girl hearing answering machine messages. Despite their journey they cannot confirm that the original version was shot in winter, but it can be assured it was produced before the invention of the answering machine.
In continuation of the legacy Mahmoud and Zeinab are making their version of Seif Tagreeby.