Mustafa El-Hallag
(1938-2002)

PALESTINIAN artist Mustafa Al-Hallag died last week following a fire in his Damascus home. Al-Hallag had studied sculpture at Cairo University's Faculty of Fine Arts in the 1960s. Born in Haifa in 1938 he has lived in Cairo, Beirut and Damascus. Al- Hallag was a painter, sculptor and engraver. His works drew on the traditional motifs -- serpents, birds, palms, horses, houses, olive trees, pigeons -- that are part of the collective Palestinian consciousness, and which Al-Hallag combined with Egyptian motifs and Ancient Egyptian philosophy.

Censoring Zawaya?

ACCORDING to the weekly cultural newspaper Akhbar Al-Adab and the London- based daily Al-Hayat, the third issue of the Lebanese cultural magazine Zawaya has been banned by censorship authorities in Cairo. In press reports Zawaya's editor Pierre Abi Saab has speculated that the reason behind the ban was the issue's cover which features a photograph of a dancer by photographer Lara Baladi recently on show at Townhouse Gallery. Highlights of the banned issue include interviews with poet Mohamed El-Maghout and Fatma Mernissi and a retrospective on the late filmmaker Radwan El-Kashef in addition to a photographic essay by Dalia Khamisi, reviews of works by the Saudi novelist Abdu Khal and late Palestinian poet Hussein Al-Barghouti, and profiles of storyteller Sherine El-Ansari and director Nizar Hassan.

The ban came two weeks after an issue of another Lebanese cultural publication, Al- Adab magazine, was banned and then released by Egyptian authorities.

Poets against war

THE 18th round of the Marbad Poetry Festival took place last week in Baghdad amid fears of an impending American attack on Iraq. According to Iraqi newspapers some 400 poets and literati attended the festival in support of Iraq. Poetry by the Iraqi Abdel- Raziq Abdel-Wahid, the Palestinian Youssef Al-Khatib, the Syrian Shawqi Baghdadi and the Lebanese Abdel-Karim Shamseddin was read during the first session.

Egoyan in Cairo

THE CANADIAN Embassy will organise the first Canadian Film Week at the Creativity Centre from 10 to 16 March 2003. The festival will honour Egyptian-born Armenian Canadian director Atom Egoyan and screen his latest film Ararat, premiered at Cannes. The film deals with the massacre of Armenians in 1915.

Sarhan continues...

PRIME Minister Atef Ebeid has confirmed Minister of Culture Farouk Hosni's request to extend Samir Sarhan's term as head of the General Egyptian Book Organisation (GEBO) until December 2003. Salah Shuqweir's term as director of the Cultural Development Fund has also been extended for another year.

Shooting anger

DIRECTOR Youssef Chahine will begin shooting his new film Al-Ghadab (Anger) in January. The film's script, written by Chahine and Khaled Youssef, focusses on the director's love-hate relationship with the US since his early years studying cinema there, and his views on America after 11 September. The film will star Yousra, Nur El- Sherif, Hala Sidqi, Libliba and dancer Ahmed Yehia. The film will be shot in Cairo, Paris, New York and Venice.

And freedom

FILMMAKER Inas El-Degheidi will begin shooting her new film Al-Bahithat 'An Al- Hurriya (Seekers of Freedom) next March in Paris and Cairo. Based on a story by Hoda El-Zeini the film's script was written by Rafiq El-Sabban and deals with the problems that face Arab women expatriates in Europe. The cast is expected to include actresses from Morocco, Egypt and Lebanon.

Meanwhile, El-Degheidi was honoured on Friday by Tunis's Zeitouna Cultural Festival which screened her film Mudhakkirat Murahiqa (A Teenager's Diaries).

Music for liberty

THE PALESTINIAN band Gawqat Al-Quds performed last week folkloric music and songs at the Qalandiya road block that separates Ramallah and Jerusalem. The performance was in opposition to the Israeli policy that continues to prevent Palestinians from other cities from entering Jerusalem.

Laila and Shylock

LAILA ELWI is currently studying her role in the National Theatre's upcoming production The Merchant of Venice, directed by Hani Mutawi'.

The latest reports on the production name a cast including Riad El-Khuli, Manal Salama and Zein Nassar.

Films in Morocco

THE 12TH round of the Tutwan Festival for Mediterranean Films will be held in Morrocco from 28 March to 4 April. The festival will honour Egyptian filmmakers from the 90s generation and will screen a number of their films including Youssri Nassrallah's Mercedes, Atef Hatata's Al-Abwab Al- Mughlaqa (Close Doors), Zaki Fatin Abdel- Wahab's Romantika, Usama Fawzi's Gannat Al-Shayatin (Devil's Paradise) and Sandra Nashaat's Leih Khalitni Ahibbak (Why Did You Make Me Love You?). A spotlight on Egyptian films will also include Magdi Ahmed Ali's Asrar Al-Banat (Girls' Secrets) and Dawoud Abdel-Sayed's Muwatin wa Mukhbir wa Harami (Citizen, Informer, Thief). A tribute to late director Radwan El- Kashef will screen his last work Al-Sahir (The Magician) in addition to a number of his short films. Mohamed Kamel El- Qalyoubi's Kharif Adam (Adam's Autumn) will be part of the official competition.

Algeria in Paris

THE INSTITUT du Monde Arabe, Paris, is organising its seventh Euro Arab Book Fair next June. The five-day fair's focus this year will be Algeria. The organisers are taking a more hands-on approach this year, choosing which publishers to invite and ensuring that the latest Arabic titles will be included.

By Amina Elbendary