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Al-Ahram Weekly 25 Nov. - 1 Dec. 1999 Issue No. 457 
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Published in Cairo by AL-AHRAM established in 1875 |
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Al-Ahram Weekly 25 Nov. - 1 Dec. 1999 Issue No. 457
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| Published in Cairo by AL-AHRAM established in 1875 |
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Egypt Region International Economy Opinion Culture Features Profile Travel Living Sports People Time Out Chronicles Cartoons Letters The last festival of the century
By Khairiya El-Bishlawi
On Tuesday 23 November the opening ceremony of the 23rd Cairo International Film Festival (24 Nov-7 Dec) took place in the Main Hall of the Cairo Opera House. It was attended by the Minister of Culture Farouk Hosni, a large number of actors, journalists and critics, Egyptian and foreign, in addition to the festival's guests of honour, lead by the British actor Peter O'Toole and French actor Alain Delon whose schedule unfortunately did not allow him to remain much beyond the ceremony. Other guests include Catherine Deneuve, Italian actress Irina Schachi, and Italian actress Valeria Guiolino.
The ceremony, directed by the head of the festival, actor Hussein Fahmi, was followed by a screening of Analyze This, a 1999 US production directed by Harold Ramis, and starring Robert DeNiro, Billy Crystal, Lisa Kudrow and Chazz Palminteri. Analyze This -- a concept comedy -- continues a genre in which Ramis has distinguished himself previously. And though the film did not receive the accolades critics had earlier bestowed on Groundhog Day and Multiplicity -- "disappointingly bland, sluggish and obvious" was how the London-based Time Out magazine described it upon its release in London last September -- the performances of the leads keep it afloat. DeNiro -- big-time mafia boss suffering from anxiety attacks -- seeks the help of Crystal, a small-time Jewish psychiatrist. The encounter produces many comic spins on anxiety and persecution.
The choice of Analyze This as the opening film was in accordance with the festival theme this year, comedy on screen, hence the dedication of this year's round to the classic Arab actor and comedian Naguib El-Rihani. Rihani, who began his acting career in theatre in the 1910s, was one of the pioneers of comedy on screen, appearing in His Excellency Kish Kish Bey in 1931. Rihani died 50 years ago.
Comedy is an odd choice perhaps, on the part of the festival's organisers, to mark the end of a century burdened with wars, blood and tears. But comedy is one of the great achievements of cinema's history -- and few would doubt that it is cinema that is best able to provide a salve for the neuroses of a generation to enter a new millennium.
The festival features 19 comedies from 11 countries, including Germany, Finland, the Netherlands, India, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Russia, the USA, France and Switzerland. Additionally, four classic Egyptian comedies will be screened: Rihani's 1941 Si Omar; the 1958 Ahebbak Ya Hassan (I Love You, Hassan), directed by Hussein Fawzi and starring Na'ima Akef and Shoukri Sarhan; the 1962 Al-Zawga Raqam Talattashar (Wife Number 13), directed by Fateen Abdel-Wahab and starring Shadia and Rushdi Abaza, and the 1984 Al-Avocato (The Attorney), directed by Rafaat El-Meehi and starring Adel Imam and Youssra.
There are 13 films competing in the international competition. Lotus Flower (Algeria/Vietnam), co-directed by the 57-year-old Algerian Ammar Al-Askari and Shan Dek. The events of the film follow a Vietnamese TV news reporter who goes to Algeria searching for her father, a soldier in the French army in Vietnam where he first encountered, then married, her mother, only to leave later to join the independence movement in Algeria. Tragically, the Vietnamese co-director died before the public release of his film.
The Czech film, Stories from Prague, was co-directed by Vladimir Mikhaelik, Michaela Pavtelova, Martin Solik and Arthemeo Pinky.
The opening ceremony(top) attended by Peter O'Toole and Omar Sherif; Alain Delon (centre left); Fouad El-Mohandess (centre right); DeNiro and Crystal (left) in the festival's opening film Analyze This
photos: Abdel-Hamid Eid
Egypt competes with two films: Ard Al-Khowf (Land of Fear) by Dawoud Abdel-Sayed and Souq Al-Mot'a (Pleasure Market); Finland with A Tragedy Worthy of Respect, directed by Kia Rastimo, while France has entered Big Trouble, directed by Bernard Estora, and Soft Skin, directed by Emilie Deleuze. Iran competes with The Lost Girl, directed by Rassoul Sadr Emile, and Ireland with Sunset Heights, directed by Colam Vela, while Holland is pinning its hopes on Winter 89 by Daniel Daniel. The Philippines has entered The Story of Ah, directed by Joel Lamingan, China shows Love in The Internet Generation, directed by Jin Chin. Russia competes with Seductive Dance, directed by Raouf Kobaev, the UK with Love and Anger, directed by Lathale Blake, and the US has entered two directorial debuts, Jerks by Ted Groya and Sweet Thing by Mark David.
The 10-member international jury comprises Indian actress/director Aparna Sen, Polish actress Agnieszka Wagner, Tunisian director Ferid Boughedir, Egyptian director Inas El-Degheidi, Irish director/producer/writer John Lynch, Brazilian producer Lucy Barreto, Egyptian scriptwriter Mahmoud Abu Zeid, French critic Max Tessier and American director Roland Joffe. It is headed by the French director Yves Boisset.
A total of 174 films from 44 countries will be screened during the festival and special sections are to be devoted to the 75th anniversary of the Russian Mosfilm Studios, which constituted the backbone of Soviet cinema. Five recent Mosfilm productions will be screened during the festival. Six Brazilian films, five of which were produced this year -- Orpheus, Other Stories, Two Streams, Demons Meeting and The Filmmaker of the Amazon -- together with the 1998 film The Nutty, Nutty Boy, will be shown in a mini-perspective of contemporary Brazilian film. It is noteworthy that the brilliant Central Station, the star of which was nominated for an Oscar, was screened during last year's festival.
The festival pays tribute to 50-year-old Spanish director Montxo Armendariz, screening four of his films: Tasio, Las Cartas de Alou, 24 Hours and Historia del Kronen. It also honours several distinguished Egyptian comedians and comedy writers: actor Fouad El-Mohandess, scriptwriter Farouk Sabri, director Mohamed Abdel-Aziz, director Hussein Fawzi, and the names of director Abbas Kamel, scriptwriter Ali El-Zorkany, writer Abul-Seoud El-Ebiari and writer Badei Khairi. On this occasion, the festival is issuing a book on each, prepared and edited by a group of Egyptian critics, outlining their careers, evaluating their roles, and providing complete filmographies. Each, too, will receive a specially commissioned bust of Naguib El-Rihani, designed by Mohamed Said. Foreign honourees will receive a bust of an Egyptian peasant woman designed by Mostafa Hussein.
