13 - 19 September 2001
Issue No.551
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Al-Ahram Weekly Online 13 - 19 September 2001 Issue No.551 |
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An unlikely menagerie
The Alexandria Film Festival closes with few surprises. Unlike the ostrich, though, Mohamed El- Assyouti did not keep his head in the sand.
Wednesday 5: Opening night at the Shatby Conference Hall. A grand opening. Lots of people. Are they all related to cinema? Shhhh! Everyone sees films -- mostly on TV -- so everyone is related to cinema. Honouring of legendary composer Abdel- Wahab, of Naguib Mahfouz (not present) and of veteran star Faten Hamama, first lady of Egyptian cinema.
"She was named the most significant Egyptian actress to have emerged in the first century of Egyptian cinema in a survey conducted by Saadeddin Wahba, late head of the Cairo Film Festival," notes Al-Ahram journalist and Head of the Alexandria Film Festival Mohamed Saleh. She stood on stage for half an hour while the ceremony unfolded. Cameras flashed continuously. Afterwards, Baz Luhrmann's Moulin Rouge, which opened in Cannes, was screened.
Thursday 6: Too humid for any activity. Stars like Lebleba (aka Nuniya) and Boussi arrive. This year, unlike the previous two, the festival is not headquartered in Raml (downtown Alexandria). Stars, filmmakers, jury members and journalists gather at the Montaza Sheraton -- which has hosted the festival in the past. Saleh admits that "this year, due to economic problems, sponsors who had previously contributed have refrained. Even the Ministry of Culture has cut its funding."
Friday 7: Fish. In Alex you must eat sea food. Some have it for breakfast, lunch and dinner. And Dheil Al-Samakah (Fish Tail) is to be screened. There's no room for small fish in the waters of Montaza. Written by Wahid Hamed, directed by Samir Seif, starring Amr Waked and Sari El-Naggar, it was finished two years ago and is expected to win everything in the Egyptian films competition. There are only four other films in competition.
Hullabaloo! Woe and behold! A fiery discussion after the screening engages everyone in political controversy. Egypt's foremost writer and director -- the team who caused the furore over the intermarriage between Muslims and Christians with their serial last Ramadan -- depict a supposedly positive homosexual character in a few scenes. Whether gays are to be tolerated or not becomes the central issue of the festival.
Saturday 8: Ostrich day. Al-Naamah wal-Tawous (The Ostrich and the Peacock), the script of which caused a controversy over 20 years ago when Salah Abu Seif and Lenin El-Ramli proposed it to the censors, is to be screened. It was eventually made by Mohamed Abu Seif (Salah's son) and is competing in both the international and the Egyptian competition. Disappointment -- the director announces to journalists that the film has no graphic sex scenes, though it discusses sexual education and pre-marital sex. Young actors Basma Ahmed and Mustafa Shaaban anxiously await the audience's judgement.
Monday 10: The festival's, possibly the world's, biggest star, Amitab Bachchan, is on stage. Interrupting the shooting of his latest film in LA, he has arrived to be honoured by the Alexandria Festival.
The awards are announced. Dheil Al-Samakah wins almost every award in the Egyptian competition. Amr Waked is named best actor. Al-Naamah wal-Tawous receives the special jury prize in the international competition and Basma wins best actress. The Moroccan Nabil Ayoush's Ali Zawa, expected to win best film and director from day one of the festival, collected its awards. The Bosnian film Heroes won best cinematography.
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