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Al-Ahram Weekly 16 - 22 September 1999 Issue No. 447 
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Published in Cairo by AL-AHRAM established in 1875 |
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Al-Ahram Weekly 16 - 22 September 1999 Issue No. 447
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| Published in Cairo by AL-AHRAM established in 1875 |
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Egypt Region International Economy Opinion Culture Special Profile Travel Sports People Time Out Chronicles Cartoons Letters
Ossama Fawzi's Gannet Al-Shayatin (Devils' Paradise) and Inas El-Degheidi's Kalam Al-Leil (Night Talk) Women hit Alexandria By Khairiya El-Bishlawi
Last night saw the opening of the 15th Alexandria International Festival for Mediterranean Film (15-21 September) at the Al-Shatbi Conference Hall. The Spanish film Yerma was chosen for screening at the opening ceremony. The film, based on Garcia Lorca's play by the same title, was chosen as part of the international celebrations of the Spanish playwright's centenary.
The film tells the story of Yerma and is set in Andalusia during the 1930s. Yerma, vivacious, passionate and completely alive, cannot accept that she is sterile. The film is director Bella Tafora's first full-length feature -- following a series of documentary and short films -- and she displays great sympathy in exposing the psychology and motivations of Lorca's eponymous heroine.
There are many factors indicating a novel approach towards this year's festival. Firstly, the festival has been organised by a new administrative committee, headed by writer and journalist Mohamed Saleh. Second, the festival's activities are taking place in a new locale, and are mainly centred on downtown Alexandria instead of the suburban venues that had become almost de rigueur in recent rounds. And third -- for the first time in the history of the festival -- sponsorship is no longer the exclusive preserve of the Ministry of Culture, the Ministry of Information and the Alexandria Governorate.
Another significant change is in the number of Egyptian films participating. The nine films in this year's festival bucks the trend of recent years, which has seen the number of domestically produced films exhibiting in steady decline, so much so that the Egyptian Panorama Section, a feature of the festival, looked in danger of withering away.
A good omen then, given that Egyptian cinema, and its complement of screen stars, which the festival administration is ever careful to host, constitute the heart and pulse of the event. Certainly, the films chasing increased prize money are likely to be in close competition: many of these films have, after all, participated in international festivals, and include Gannet Al-Shayatin (Devils' Paradise), directed by Ossama Fawzi, starring Mahmoud Hemeida and Lebleba and Al-Madina (The City), a French-Egyptian co-production directed by Youssri Nasralla which recently reaped the Special Jury Award at the Locarno film festival.
Among the Egyptian films participating in the international competition as well as the Egyptian Panorama are: Kalam Al-Leil (Night Talk) based on Al-'Orie (Nakedness), a short story by Gamal El-Ghitani, directed by Inas El-Degheidi and starring Youssra, Jala Fahmi, Mahmoud Qabil and Ashraf Abdel-Baqi; Al-Sharaf (Honour), director Mohamed Shaaban's debut feature film starring Jihane Fadel, Farouk El-Fishawi and Mohamed Metwalli and Gonoun Al-Haya (The Madness of Life), directed by Said Marzouq and starring Karim Abdel-Aziz and Yasmin Abdel-Aziz.
The TV sector is also participating with several productions including Al-Mottahama (The Accused) starring Mounir Fahmi, Hesham Abdel-Hamid, Ahmed Khalil and Riad El-Kholi, directed by Ahmed El-Sab'awi; Awlad Al-Shaytan (The Devil's Offspring) directed by Ibrahim Afifi, starring Hussein Fahmi, Farouk El-Fishawi and Abir Sabri and Al-Nems (The Ferret) directed by Ali Abdel-Khaleq, starring Mahmoud Abdel-Aziz and Nahla Salama.
In contrast to the increasing number of Egyptian entries other Arab productions are in short supply this year. Worthy of mention are the Moroccan film Mabrouk (Congratulations) -- participating in the official competition -- directed by Idris Ashwika; another Moroccan film Masir Imra'a (A Woman's Fate) directed by Hakim Louzi and the Tunisian entry 'Ors Al-Qamar (The Moon's Wedding) directed by Tayeb Wahish, which participated in the last Cairo International Film Festival.
The Palestinian Film Panorama partially compensates for the scarcity of Arab films, however, and has been organised in an attempt to shed light over the most pertinent pan-Arab issues. Among this year's panorama are: Al-Jawaher Al-Thalatha (The Three Jewels) directed by Michel Khalifa (a member of this year's international jury); Haifa directed by Rashid Meshharawi who previously garnered the grand prize at the Cairo International Festival for his film Hatta Ish'ar Akhar (Curfew) and whose film Tawattor (Tension) is also being screened in Alexandria; Kafr Qassem by Borhan Allaweiya; Al-Makhdou'oun (The Betrayed) by Tawfiq Saleh; as well as two documentary films Atfal Sabra wa Shatila (The Children of Sabra and Shatila) directed by May Masri and Fadoua Sha'era men Felestin (Fadoua, A Poet from Palestine) directed by Liana Badr, about the Palestinian poet Fadoua Touqan.
The remaining international presence at this year's event includes productions from 30 other countries, among them France, Hungary, the US, Russia, Germany, Sweden, Belgium, Italy, Greece, Spain, Turkey, Australia, the UK, Brazil, Romania, Switzerland, Albania, Croatia, the Czech Republic, Canada, Portugal, Slovakia and India.
Among the most impatiently awaited films is the Turkish production Yara by 31-year-old director Yilmaz Arslan. Yara is about a Turkish girl torn between her "oriental" origins and her "western" up-bringing in Germany, and follows her struggle to reconcile these two seemingly contradictory identities.
Another promising film is the Yugoslav production Some Birds Are Unable to Fly by director Peter Lalovic, starring Velimir Bata and Neda Amerie. The film addresses the issue of environmental pollution and posits a utopian return to nature in search of purity through the story of a girl suffering from leukemia. Her doctors predict she has only months to live. Yet when her grand-father takes her to the wilderness she finds a cure none of her doctors could have anticipated.
The Greek production Dancing Soul, directed by Lucia Rikaky, is about a woman's relationship with a psychologically disturbed man who becomes intolerable and who manages to plague her with guilt feelings. The Alchemist and the Virgin, a Hungarian production directed by Zoltan Kamondi, is a fast-paced action thriller predicated on unexpected transformations in the lives of its protagonists.
The Portuguese entry Gloria is Manuela Vigus' feature film debut and follows the developing relationship between two teenagers, 13-year-old Gloria and 12-year-old Ivan. The Red Dwarf, by French director Yvan Le Moine, tells the story of a 30-year-old dwarf who uses his position in a legal office to forge documents incriminating those petitioning for divorce. A second French film, The New Eve by Catherine Corsini, is about a woman who decides to abstain from sexual relations of any kind until she meets a man she cannot resist. Although he is married with children, she persists and does all in her power to win him over.
A quick glance over a few of this year's entries is enough to reveal the priority accorded to women's issues and to films by women directors. Perhaps it is no coincidence that Egyptian actress Leila Olwi is head of this year's jury.
This year's Alexandria festival will honour five figures who have contributed to the shaping of Egyptian and Arab cinema: actor Mahmoud Yassin (also head of the Egyptian Film Panorama Jury), actress Nelly, director Said Marzouq, editor Kamal Abul-Ela and cinematographer Ramsis Marzouq. Each of them will receive the Mediterranean Syren statue as well as a certificate of merit. Further tributes include a special festival publication containing biographical details of the five, and a detailed filmography of each.
The festival will culminate in the presentation of awards for best film, best director, best actor, best actress, best supporting actor, best supporting actress, best screenplay and best cinematography.
