Al-Ahram Weekly | Culture

		10 - 16 October 2002 Issue No. 607 Culture	Current issue Previous issue Site map
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El-Degheidi retained
FILMMAKER Inas El-Degheidi was the subject of a meeting of the board of the Cinematic Professions' Syndicate, headed by Mamdouh El-Leithi, this week. In an abrupt intervention the board decided to support El-Degheidi in her ongoing trial, initiated this month by an Alexandria lawyer who called for expelling the filmmaker from the Syndicate. In her last film, Mudhakarat Murahiqa (Adolescent's Journals), the lawyer claimed, El-Degheidi had defied conventions and outraged public opinion. El-Leithi insisted that, since the censors had passed the film, no one syndicate had the right to find fault with it; no one from outside the syndicate should be allowed to curtail its members creative freedom. The board, he added, will oppose efforts to expel El- Degheidi.
The Cannes market
THE MEDIA Production City is participating in Cannes's film and television production fair (7-12 October), which ends this Saturday. Offering a range of recent productions, the City's pavilion showcases some 30 serialised television dramas, films and programmes. This is Egypt's first contribution to the Cannes fair, Abdel-Rahman Hafiz, chairman of the board of the City, announced this week on his way to France. The event, he added, affords a significant marketing opportunity as well as demonstrating the City's capabilities to Arab and international distributors.
October on the Nile
THE 6TH of October victory was celebrated with much fanfare on the banks of the Nile on Saturday. Organised by the army in collaboration with the Ministries of Culture and Information, the evening featured demonstrations by the air force, the parachute regiment and special forces commandos as well as musical performances by military bands and students of the ballet institute and physical education colleges. Ending with fireworks, the celebration also featured performances by the Reda Troupe for folk dance and Mohamed Mounir.

Halim on screen
ABDEL-Halim Hafez is the latest of Ahmed Zaki's roles (the actor recently played both Gamal Abdel-Nasser and Anwar Sadat), to be undertaken for a new film, Halim. Written by Mahfouz Abdel-Rahman, this high- budget cinematic biography of the romantic singing phenomenon will be directed by Tareq El-Eryan and produced by the Media Production City in collaboration with a private-sector film production company. An agreement was concluded this week between the two parties concerned and filming should begin within two months.
Coming of age
THE PLASTIC Arts Department last Tuesday celebrated the silver jubilee of the establishment of the Centre of Arts, Akhenaton Galleries, Zamalek. Inaugurated by Minister of Culture Farouk Hosni and Department head Ahmed Nawwar, the celebration features a large scale retrospective exhibition covering the activities of the centre since its establishment in 1976. The exhibition includes documents and records of musical and theatrical performances as well as seminars and screenings held at the centre. It is worth mentioning that the work of some 1,500 artists, including Picasso, Dali, Paul Klee and Henry Moore has been exhibited at the centre.
Free Ibrahim
A STATEMENT drafted by a number of Egyptian and Arab intellectuals living outside the Arab world this week called for freeing sociologist Saadeddin Ibrahim and reopening his Ibn Khaldoun Centre. Signed by a 100 writers, artists and scholars -- the names include those of Adonis (Ali Ahmed Said), Al-Afif Al-Akhdar, Elias Khouri, Jihad Al-Khazin, Halim Barakat, Abbas Baydoun, Nasr Hamed Abu-Zeid, Ali Salem, Mohamed El-Sayed Said and Rushdie Said -- the statement described Ibrahim's imprisonment as a blow to Egypt's reputation in the international democratic community and even a step back towards the Dark Ages, endorsing civil-society organisations like the Ibn Khaldoun Centre for their role in fending off the fundamentalist threat.
Egyptians in Jordan
KING Abdalla II and Queen Rania of Jordan presided over the inauguration of the Egyptian Cultural Week in Amman last Saturday. Taking place in the Hussein Centre, the largest and most up-to-date cultural facility in Jordan, the "week" initially featured performances by the Abdel-Halim Nuweira Troupe and the National Circus; the opening-ceremony performace -- a rendition of the by now famous "Al-Quds Arabiya" (Jerusalem, Arab City) -- was undertaken by the National Folk Arts Troupe, conducted by Kamal Attia.
The event also provides for an exhibition of 40 paintings by Makram Henein and a number of film screenings including Dawoud Abdel-Sayed's Ard Al-Khawf (Land of Fear) and actor Nour El-Sherif's directorial debut, Al-Ashiqan (The Lovers). Also on offer are seminars, discussions and poetry evenings, including live recitations by the vernacular poet Abdel-Rahman El-Abnoudi and a lecture by Mustafa Abdel-Ghani on the rights of Palestinian children.
The "week" will end with a performance of Saadeddin Wahba's play Kafr Al-Batikh by members of the Egyptian Community Club in Amman. Several Egyptian figures will be honoured in the course of the event, including Mahmoud Yassin, Youssra, Pousy, Youssef Shaaban, Hani Mehanna, Mohamed Riyad, Mona Zaki and Ahmed Helmi.
By Youssef Rakha

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