Fighting for film
As traditional movie-goers stayed home to watch the war, the woes of the cinema industry have reached new heights, reports Eman Youssef
Once the hub of production in the region, the Egyptian cinema industry in now facing hard times. In addition to various administrative and financial problems, the industry is now plagued by the worst affliction of all: a dearth of viewers.
The coalition attack on Iraq and the constant coverage on local and foreign news networks have kept people glued to the spectacle of war, while theatres remain empty. At the same time, the domestic industry's export markets, particularly the Gulf region, are also suffering.
Recently, members of the Chamber of Cinema Industry (CCI) met with the minister of industry and technology development, Ali El-Saeidy, to discuss the obstacles hampering the growth of this important industry and find ways to improve it in the aftermath of the war in Iraq.
"The cinema industry has been badly hit by the war on Iraq," said CCI Chairman Moneib Shafie. He added that revenues and exports have declined by 50 per cent since the beginning of the war.
In response, Al-Saeidy stressed that a paper is due to be presented to the council of ministers in order to discuss the problems facing the cinema industry and as a first step towards solving these problems.
"We have many legislative obstacles and management problems in this industry," Shafie told Al-Ahram Weekly. "The role of the government is crucial," he added.
Shafie also said that the high customs duties on imported film equipment cannot be sustained by the industry's current financial position. Movie producers are also required to pay high sales taxes -- additionally, taxes on film publicity and advertising can reach 36 per cent. All this in addition to fees that need to be paid for the use of governmental facilities for shooting purposes. Shafie also explained that Egyptian movies are often pirated, then sold at low prices which leads to dramatic losses for producers.
Al-Saeidy assured industry representatives that the ministry will offer new facilities, financial support and reduce customs tariffs, in the hope of opening new markets for the distribution of Egyptian films abroad.
According to Mamdouh El-Leithy, the head of the Union of Artistic Syndicates and a prominent producer, the meeting aims to emphasise the importance of the Egyptian cinema industry, which throughout its history and development has proven that it is a vital industry. "Our aim is to prove that it is a fully developed industry," said El-Leithy.
During the 1980s, 100 movies were regularly produced every year. In the 90s, the figures fell considerably, and by the end of the 90s production was down to about 20 movies per year. At present, the country's annual film output is less than 10.
In a bid to halt this decline, the Ministry of Culture has been given the authority to acquire duplicates of movie negatives of both old and new Egyptian productions, turning them over to the National Cinema Centre.
However, "film production levels that are too high are as damaging as those that are too low, due to the distribution bottleneck that is caused," said El-Leithy. There have to be funds to support domestic film production, along with various tax exemptions, he added.
Additionally, film companies have submitted a request to the CCI to increase the maximum number of copies of imported movies from five to eight. At present, distributors are permitted to import five copies of a maximum of five movies annually. However, some fear that this will lead to Egypt being flooded with American movies.
"We have the talent, we have the skills and we have the will to make the sort of films that will make Egypt a force to be reckoned with on the world stage," says El-Leithy.
"For many years, Egypt had the most prolific film industry in Africa. In the 1960s and 70s it was producing 100 movies a year, which were seen all over North Africa and the Arab world," says Shafie. In those days, the country was dotted with cinemas which attracted large audiences. However, both the industry and the cinemas have suffered badly as a result of economic recession.
