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Al-Ahram Weekly 4 - 10 May 2000 Issue No. 480 
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Published in Cairo by AL-AHRAM established in 1875 |
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Al-Ahram Weekly 4 - 10 May 2000 Issue No. 480
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| Published in Cairo by AL-AHRAM established in 1875 |
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Egypt Region International Economy Opinion Culture Special Features Travel Living Sports Profile People Time Out Chronicles Cartoons Letters Shooting stars
By Khaireya Khairy
A documentary shown recently at the French and Italian Cultural centres is making a name for its producer and director, Marianne Khoury. The woman behind the camera, it would seem, is just as brave as the one before the lens: the former is venturing into a field almost exclusively dominated by men, while the latter -- Laura Laurella, the star of the documentary -- is a renowned ballet teacher who has taught generations of children in Cairo, and continues to give ballet classes until the present day. (see this weeks' Profile)
The Times of Laura Laurella is Khoury's first experience as a director, and she admits she had qualms about the film until she heard the spectators' roar of applause at the first screening -- and every subsequent one.
As director, she exhibited resourcefulness by changing tenses while narrating Laura's life, switching seamlessly from past to present. Flashbacks showed fond memories of Cairo at the start of the last century: its stately architecture, the Opera House where Laura and her students performed, and Bulaq, where she was born at a time when the Nile-side district harboured 87,000 Italian immigrants.
The next moment, the camera follows Laura running errands, buying meat or cigarettes, walking through Zamalek, at her ballet class and in the comfort of her home. In an interesting reminder of the prima ballerina's glory, a collage of newspaper clippings, stills, and programmes of her performances was shown.
Renowned director Youssef Chahine attended a preview of the documentary and commented joyfully: "[Marianne] is as crazy as her uncle." He navigated through the throng of spectators to give her a kiss and a hug. Khoury is indeed as daring and unconventional as he is.
Chahine is Khoury's maternal uncle. "In 1984, he was working on the Franco-Egyptian coproduction Adieu Bonaparte. He assigned me the job of assistant producer. He just threw me into the business of film making." And it seems that with Chahine it is often a matter of sink or swim. Marianne surfaced. She is grateful to him: "He taught me the basics of film production. Now I seek his advice anytime. He is my mentor, in fact." And Marianne, in turn, is practically a permanent fixture on Chahine's team.
On her father's side, too, Marianne's family is one of film producers and distributors. The Khoury company was highly noted in the Egyptian film industry until the nationalisations of the Nasser era. Her father then moved the whole family to Lebanon. Years later, the Khourys returned to Egypt.
Marianne wished to follow in the family's professional footsteps, but her father dissuaded her. "Instead, I majored in economics and received my BA from the American University, only to be sent off to Oxford to add a Master's degree." Back in Cairo, she landed in banking. Some years later, the first opportunity presented itself, and she seized it eagerly, hooking up with an Australian production shooting in Cairo. "I worked as a translator first, but was soon promoted to assistant producer. There my experience in banking came in handy."
Her business experience shows even when she talks about cinema. "Once the script is acquired, it is quantified," she explains. "The cast must be chosen, contracts need to be finalised, the cost of the production must be estimated. The final step is to raise the necessary funds."
The Laura Laurella documentary, however, was entirely funded by Marianne. The budget of the film, which runs for 36 minutes, was LE100,000. An excessive amount? She admits she lacked experience in directing; she felt so insecure that she made four versions of the film, only to settle on the first, to the production team's unanimous approval. Her husband, who works in the industry too, and willingly helped out on this labour of love, asked her if she was making Out of Africa.
So how does a workaholic cope with a family life in which two children play starring roles? "Fortunately, I have a supportive husband who helps me with the children. I also have an intelligent and reliable nanny. I make a point to attend to the children in the morning before they go to school and at bedtime. Fridays are devoted to them." And she adds emphatically: "I undertake my household duties, like my work, with passion." With equal passion, she continues: "I am addicted to my work. Cinema is a way of life, not a job. I do not 'go to' work."
Despite the pressure, Marianne at 42 still looks like a college graduate. So what next?
"I shall devote four years to introducing pioneering professional women in the Arab world... and I would like to be more involved with directing," she says. Marianne Khoury has made her first mark in a man's world, and it seems clear she is here to stay.
