Every Tuesday evening, Cairo audiences are treated to a screening of films, short films, documentaries and animation films that were part of the 24th round of the National Festival for Egyptian Cinema, which was held by the Ministry of Culture’s Cultural Development Fund last May. Back then, the Festival organisers promised to have a number of these films shown to the public in regular screenings held on Tuesdays at al-Hanager Cinema House in the Cairo Opera House’s open courtyard.
Among the best films screened was “Knights of Paradise” an animated film that focuses on the role played by the Egyptian Armed Forces in fighting terrorism in Sinai, relating the names and stories of officers and soldiers who readily sacrificed their lives for the sake of their country. Among them was Ahmed Fouad Shaman from Kafr Shukr in the south Delta region of Qualyubiya, who lost his life in a terrorist attack at Rafah in North Sinai. Egyptians honour these heroes very highly, genuinely appreciating their sacrifices and their laying down their lives for the country. Stories about them are among the most widely read or viewed content.
Among the short films screened is “Sex Doll” directed by Moataz Ahmed al-Naggar, which centres on a very shy young man who lives alone; his loneliness drives him to buy a doll in whom he hopes to find a companion.
“Kilogram”, directed by Alaa’ Mansour, tells the story of on engineer who rents an apartment in Cairo to be near his workplace, only to discover that it is haunted.
“In the Wind”, a short film by Farida Obayya, depicts a lonely young man who loves to write, but is suspicious of everything in life. He meets a young woman who tries to change his mind and delves into his world to discover an unexpected truth.
The documentary “Behind a transparent concrete barrier”, directed by Amr Bayoumi; focuses on events that take place in the spring of 2020 during the global Covid-19 lockdown, when people had to isolated at home on account of the epidemic. The weeks of quarantine generated confusion in many relationships, both inter-personal and in relation to their social and physical environment.
Another documentary, “For your sake, my child”, directed by Muhammad Noaman, tells the true story of a woman whose was shocked to be delivered of a baby with disability. Yet this leads her to establish a care centre for children with disabilities, the first such centre in the Suez Canal region.
Hessa al-Mulla’s “Journey of Chairs” describes a chair in a public transport bus that starts off new, clean and shiny; but ends up torn, worn out and unusable. The moral is that journey of the chairs is the same as that of all the non-living objects handled irresponsibly and carelessly, and ending up in a rubbish heap.
Watani International
7 September 2022