Al-Ahram Weekly | Culture

		3 - 9 October 2002 Issue No. 606 Culture	Current issue Previous issue Site map
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PEN resolutions
THE ASSEMBLY of Delegates of International PEN, meeting at its 68th Congress in Ohrid, Macedonia, 17-24 September, passed a resolution calling upon Israel to immediately permit free movement and access to all Palestinian educational establishments, end violence towards teachers and students and cease the occupation and destruction of school and university buildings. "The assembly urges Israel to recognise its responsibilities under international laws, to which it is a signatory, and to take clear and unequivocal action to ensure the inalienable rights of the Palestinian people to uninhibited access to education."
The PEN resolution on the inalienable right of Palestinians to uninhibited access to education was drafted by the Egyptian chapter, represented at the assembly by professors Fatma Moussa and Sabri Hafez.

Religious cartoon?
THE ANIMATED motion picture Mohamed: the Seal of Messengers is due to be released on 16 October in five movie theatres in Cairo after the Azharite Islamic Research Academy approved its screening. The film will be released simultaneously in several Arab capitals. Produced for LE12 million, the 90-minute film is the first cartoon version of the life of the Prophet. It provoked controversy throughout its production stages.
Meanwhile Madkour Sabet, head of the Censorship Bureau, recalled trailers of the film last week because they contained scenes in which early Muslims were portrayed destroying idols that resembled Ancient Egyptian statues. These scenes, Sabet argued, could promote destructive ideas and behaviour. A censorship committee is expected to view the film for possible cuts.

Ismailia news
THE SIXTH round of the Ismailia Festival for Documentary and Short Films opened last Saturday and will end today. Fifty-three countries are participating in the official competition with 65 entries while 120 other films have been scheduled to be shown outside the competition.
Moroccan filmmaker Ahmed Al-Boenani's Masirat Shaab (March of a Nation) and the German filmmaker Manfred Vosz's Because He Is Palestinian opened the festival, the jury of which is headed by Palestinian filmmaker Mai Masri and includes Hiroshi Shinomiya (Japan), Anand Patwardhant (India), Omar Amiralay (Syria), Victor Kossakovsky (Russia)and Samir Farid and Samir Ouf (Egypt).
The festival's president, critic Ali Abu Shadi, has announced that highlights from the festival will receive screenings in Alexandria and Cairo.

Countdown to Booker
THE SHORTLIST for the 2002 Booker Prize was announced last week. Nominated are William Trevor's The Story of Lucy Gault, Tim Winton's Dirt Music, Yann Martel's The Life of Pi, Rohinton Mistry's Family Matters, Carol Shields's Unless, and Sarah Waters's Fingersmith. Shields and Trevor have emerged as the favourites.

Cairo Film Festival
IN A PRESS conference last Thursday Sherif El-Shoubashi, head of Cairo International Film Festival (CIFF), announced that this round -- 15-25 October -- will include "a discussion forum on the great potential and challenges confronting the movie industry in the South". The festival, he said, will focus on providing "a market- place opportunity", reports Mohamed El- Assyouti. The president of this year's jury will be veteran Indian-British producer Ismail Merchant and the honourees include directors Carlos Saura (Spain), Michael Cacoyannis (Greece), Alain Corneau and Marin Carmitiz (France), and actors Helena Bonham-Carter (England), Victoria Abril (Spain), Shashi Kapoor (India) and Madiha Youssri, Ezzat El-Alayli and Iman (Egypt).
El-Shoubashy announced that French channel TV5 will air coverage of the festival's events three times a day while German ZTF and the Chinese CCTV will each have a daily coverage.

Southern literature
THE TIBA Literary Festival, suspended for several years now, appears to have a new lease of life. Held in Luxor in November the festival is intended to coincide with the city's celebrations of the discovery of Tutankhamun's tomb. This year's three-day round will focus on El-Said and the novel and will include discussions on legends, popular heritage and women in Southern literature. Readings by writers from Luxor and other upper Egyptian cities will also be organised.
The festival will be headed by Abdel- Hamid Ibrahim and will honour novelist Bahaa Taher, poets Mohamed Abul-Fadl Badran and Farrag El-Aini, and short story writer Hussein Khalifa, all from Luxor.

Abu Rayya and the kids
NOVELIST Youssef Abu Rayya is treading new waters these days having just completed a story for children based on the adventures of Marco Polo. Marco of the Millions follows the great traveller into China where he lived for 17 years. Abu Rayya is also writing another story for children on the adventures of Antara Ibn Shaddad, the pre-Islamic Arabian hero, in which he puts the legendary character on trial.

Documenting heritage
FATHI Saleh, director of the National Centre for Documentation of Cultural and Natural Heritage (CULTNAT) gave a lecture on "Documentation of Egyptian Cultural Heritage" this week at the American Research Centre in Egypt (ARCE), reports Mustafa El-Menshawi. Saleh highlighted the centre's role in promoting awareness about Egypt's cultural heritage and the training of conservation professionals. Part of the centre's work was the collection of all of Umm Kulthoum's songs as part of a larger encyclopedia of Egyptian artists. The centre is also engaged in documenting Egyptian folklore. As for the photographic heritage of Egypt, Saleh noted that 1,200 photos by Lehnert and Landrock are soon to be published on CD.
By Amina Elbendary

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