A clash between people representing very different social strata electrifies the drama “19B,” the sixth feature from Egyptian helmer-writer Ahmad Abdalla, a progenitor of the new wave of independent Arab cinema in the early 2000s. Like his other films, “19B” deals with the changes taking place in contemporary Egypt and his characters’ struggle to find their place. The film claimed awards for best Arab film, cinematography and the international critics’ prize at the recent Cairo fest.
The story unfolds in an affluent Cairo neighborhood once filled with big homes and shady gardens, where an abandoned villa becomes derelict even as the building’s elderly caretaker clings to his makeshift life there. At the same time, on the street, the impoverished children of the new Egypt attempt to make their living in not altogether legal ways.
Like the building he believes he is guarding, the nameless old man has seen better days.
The story unfolds in an affluent Cairo neighborhood once filled with big homes and shady gardens, where an abandoned villa becomes derelict even as the building’s elderly caretaker clings to his makeshift life there. At the same time, on the street, the impoverished children of the new Egypt attempt to make their living in not altogether legal ways.
Like the building he believes he is guarding, the nameless old man has seen better days.
- 11/30/2022
- by Alissa Simon
- Variety Film + TV
Palestinian director Firas Khoury’s debut feature Alam has triumphed at the 44th Cairo International Film Festival, winning its Golden Pyramid Award for Best Film, best actor for Mahmoud Bakri and the Audience Award.
The coming-of-age tale, which world premiered in Toronto, explores the reality of Palestinian teenagers growing up within Israeli borders.
Bakri stars as a high-school student who gets involved in an operation to replace the Israeli flag flying from his school with a Palestinian one, as Israeli celebrates Independence Day and Palestinians commemorate Nakba, or the catastrophe.
The picture, which is sold internationally by MPM Premium, was acquired by Film Movement for North America earlier this year.
The Silver Pyramid special jury award for best director went to Belgium’s Emmanuelle Nicot for Dalva, a sensitive portrait of a young girl as she rebuilds her trust in life after being sexually abused.
Big screen debutant Zelda Samson...
The coming-of-age tale, which world premiered in Toronto, explores the reality of Palestinian teenagers growing up within Israeli borders.
Bakri stars as a high-school student who gets involved in an operation to replace the Israeli flag flying from his school with a Palestinian one, as Israeli celebrates Independence Day and Palestinians commemorate Nakba, or the catastrophe.
The picture, which is sold internationally by MPM Premium, was acquired by Film Movement for North America earlier this year.
The Silver Pyramid special jury award for best director went to Belgium’s Emmanuelle Nicot for Dalva, a sensitive portrait of a young girl as she rebuilds her trust in life after being sexually abused.
Big screen debutant Zelda Samson...
- 11/23/2022
- by Melanie Goodfellow
- Deadline Film + TV
Palestinian filmmaker Firas Khoury’s fiery coming-of-age drama “Alam” (The Flag) took home the Golden Pyramid at the Cairo Intl. Film Festival, which wrapped with a glitzy award ceremony in the Egyptian capital on Tuesday night.
Khoury’s politically charged debut, which world premiered at the Toronto Intl. Film Festival, struck a chord with both the international jury, headed by Japanese filmmaker Naomi Kawase, and moviegoers in Cairo, who also handed “Alam” the audience award. At a rousing Middle East premiere on Nov. 18, moviegoers burst into applause several times during the screening.
Khoury, who addressed the audience at Cairo’s Opera House with a pre-recorded message, was unable to attend the festival. The director, an Israeli citizen traveling on a Palestinian passport, was not granted a visa by Egyptian authorities.
“Alam” follows a Palestinian-Israeli teen who undergoes a political awakening sparked by a pretty, outspoken girl from his high school class,...
Khoury’s politically charged debut, which world premiered at the Toronto Intl. Film Festival, struck a chord with both the international jury, headed by Japanese filmmaker Naomi Kawase, and moviegoers in Cairo, who also handed “Alam” the audience award. At a rousing Middle East premiere on Nov. 18, moviegoers burst into applause several times during the screening.
Khoury, who addressed the audience at Cairo’s Opera House with a pre-recorded message, was unable to attend the festival. The director, an Israeli citizen traveling on a Palestinian passport, was not granted a visa by Egyptian authorities.
“Alam” follows a Palestinian-Israeli teen who undergoes a political awakening sparked by a pretty, outspoken girl from his high school class,...
- 11/23/2022
- by Christopher Vourlias
- Variety Film + TV
The Cairo Intl. Film Festival kicked off Nov. 13 with the Middle East premiere of Steven Spielberg’s “The Fabelmans,” and a new-look leadership team bringing fresh energy to the grande dame of Arab cinema.
This year’s event marks the first as festival director for Egyptian filmmaker Amir Ramses, who was appointed earlier this year, as well as industry head Reem Allam.
Ramses was tapped just weeks after Egyptian producer Mohamed Hefzy stepped down as festival president, after a four-year tenure in which he helped to revamp the long-running event.
Hefzy was particularly instrumental in expanding the fest’s international reach, bolstering ties with counterparts overseas, and launching an industry component that has quickly established itself as one of the leading platforms for filmmakers from the region.
The festival’s 44th edition, which runs until Nov. 22, unspools amid a crowded fall calendar of Arab fests, running parallel to Marrakech (Nov.
This year’s event marks the first as festival director for Egyptian filmmaker Amir Ramses, who was appointed earlier this year, as well as industry head Reem Allam.
Ramses was tapped just weeks after Egyptian producer Mohamed Hefzy stepped down as festival president, after a four-year tenure in which he helped to revamp the long-running event.
Hefzy was particularly instrumental in expanding the fest’s international reach, bolstering ties with counterparts overseas, and launching an industry component that has quickly established itself as one of the leading platforms for filmmakers from the region.
The festival’s 44th edition, which runs until Nov. 22, unspools amid a crowded fall calendar of Arab fests, running parallel to Marrakech (Nov.
- 11/14/2022
- by Christopher Vourlias
- Variety Film + TV
Egyptian helmer-writer Ahmad Abdalla, known for being part of the new wave of independent cinema in the Arab world with his early films “Heliopolis” (2009) and “Microphone” (2010), returns to the Cairo Film Festival with the world premiere of his sixth feature, “19B.” It marks the sole film from the host country in the International Competition lineup.
The multi-layered narrative centers on the elderly caretaker of an abandoned Cairo villa known as 19B. The owners have been absent for so long that no one even knows how to contact them, and the building is falling apart. Nevertheless, the caretaker is happy with his jerry-rigged life there, sharing the space with abandoned dogs and cats, and drinking tea with the doorman of a high-rise down the block. But things change when the old man is bullied and threatened by the aggressive ex-con Nasr, the leader of a street gang.
Talking to Variety from...
The multi-layered narrative centers on the elderly caretaker of an abandoned Cairo villa known as 19B. The owners have been absent for so long that no one even knows how to contact them, and the building is falling apart. Nevertheless, the caretaker is happy with his jerry-rigged life there, sharing the space with abandoned dogs and cats, and drinking tea with the doorman of a high-rise down the block. But things change when the old man is bullied and threatened by the aggressive ex-con Nasr, the leader of a street gang.
Talking to Variety from...
- 11/11/2022
- by Alissa Simon
- Variety Film + TV
Steven Spielberg’s semi-autobiographical, coming-of-age drama The Fabelmans has been announced as the opening film of 44th Cairo International Film Festival, running from November 13 to 22.
This year’s edition of the historic Egyptian festival will unfold under the direction of a new management team following the departure of former head Mohamed Hefzy in March.
Veteran actor Hussein Fahmy returns as president at the festival, a role he held in the past, while respected Egyptian film programmer Amir Ramses has taken up the baton of artistic director.
This year’s main International Competition features Ahmad Abdalla’s 19B (Egypt), Firas Khoury’s Alam (Palestine), Nicolas’s Giraud’s The Astronaut (France), Pierre Földes’s Blind Willow Sleeping Woman (France), Damian Kocur’s Bread And Salt (Poland), Maksym Nakonechnyi’s Butterfly Vision (Ukraine), Ali Cherri’s The Dam, Ivan Löwenberg’s I Don’t Want To Be Dust (Mexico), Ridha Behi...
This year’s edition of the historic Egyptian festival will unfold under the direction of a new management team following the departure of former head Mohamed Hefzy in March.
Veteran actor Hussein Fahmy returns as president at the festival, a role he held in the past, while respected Egyptian film programmer Amir Ramses has taken up the baton of artistic director.
This year’s main International Competition features Ahmad Abdalla’s 19B (Egypt), Firas Khoury’s Alam (Palestine), Nicolas’s Giraud’s The Astronaut (France), Pierre Földes’s Blind Willow Sleeping Woman (France), Damian Kocur’s Bread And Salt (Poland), Maksym Nakonechnyi’s Butterfly Vision (Ukraine), Ali Cherri’s The Dam, Ivan Löwenberg’s I Don’t Want To Be Dust (Mexico), Ridha Behi...
- 10/18/2022
- by Melanie Goodfellow
- Deadline Film + TV
Steven Spielberg’s “The Fabelmans” will open the 44th edition of the Cairo Film Festival, the Arab world’s venerable cinematic showcase, which takes place Nov. 13 – 22.
The Oscar-winning director’s semi-autobiographical film, which follows the formative years of a young man who discovers movies as a means to help him see the truth about others and himself, earned a standing ovation following its premiere at the Toronto Film Festival.
This year’s event in the Egyptian capital, which takes place as most film festivals and industry events have returned to business as usual after two years of pandemic cancellations and disruptions, nevertheless unfolds against a backdrop of global uncertainty.
Festival president Hussein Fahmy conjured the specter of war in Ukraine as he described a “year of ambitions and challenges” in a statement, posing the questions: “Where do we go from here? How can the festival take new steps, in particular,...
The Oscar-winning director’s semi-autobiographical film, which follows the formative years of a young man who discovers movies as a means to help him see the truth about others and himself, earned a standing ovation following its premiere at the Toronto Film Festival.
This year’s event in the Egyptian capital, which takes place as most film festivals and industry events have returned to business as usual after two years of pandemic cancellations and disruptions, nevertheless unfolds against a backdrop of global uncertainty.
Festival president Hussein Fahmy conjured the specter of war in Ukraine as he described a “year of ambitions and challenges” in a statement, posing the questions: “Where do we go from here? How can the festival take new steps, in particular,...
- 10/18/2022
- by Christopher Vourlias
- Variety Film + TV
The Egyptian festival runs November 13-22.
The Cairo International Film Festival has unveiled the line-up for its 44th edition.
Steven Spielberg’s The Fabelmans will open the festival following its world premiere at Toronto where it picked up the people’s choice award.
Scroll down for full line-up
Ciff’s international competition section contains 14 titles, including five world premieres.
Egyptian director Ahmad Abdalla’s 19B is one of the world premieres competing for the Golden Pyramid for best film. It follows an old guard whose peaceful job of watching over an abandoned villa is threatened when a young park attendant turns up.
The Cairo International Film Festival has unveiled the line-up for its 44th edition.
Steven Spielberg’s The Fabelmans will open the festival following its world premiere at Toronto where it picked up the people’s choice award.
Scroll down for full line-up
Ciff’s international competition section contains 14 titles, including five world premieres.
Egyptian director Ahmad Abdalla’s 19B is one of the world premieres competing for the Golden Pyramid for best film. It follows an old guard whose peaceful job of watching over an abandoned villa is threatened when a young park attendant turns up.
- 10/18/2022
- by Ellie Calnan
- ScreenDaily
An intriguing comedy drama about a film-maker who falls foul of a taxi driver and a sex worker is atmospheric but muddled
Independent Egyptian director Ahmad Abdalla, whose previous dramatic features found favour on the festival circuit, takes a swerve into comic territory with this compact, bumpy picaresque set over 12 hours or so in Cairo. Although the dialogue touches occasionally on politics and the repressive authoritarian regime currently in power, the narrative engine is driven largely by a more universally relatable subject: the exposure of a smug member of the elite to the cruelties and petty grifts of the underclass. Think After Hours, but in Arabic, and with more police brutality.
Film director Moe (Karim Kassem) is first met having a tough day at work shooting a commercial for money; he is also being guilt tripped by a photographer friend (Donia Maher) who wants him to help champion the cause...
Independent Egyptian director Ahmad Abdalla, whose previous dramatic features found favour on the festival circuit, takes a swerve into comic territory with this compact, bumpy picaresque set over 12 hours or so in Cairo. Although the dialogue touches occasionally on politics and the repressive authoritarian regime currently in power, the narrative engine is driven largely by a more universally relatable subject: the exposure of a smug member of the elite to the cruelties and petty grifts of the underclass. Think After Hours, but in Arabic, and with more police brutality.
Film director Moe (Karim Kassem) is first met having a tough day at work shooting a commercial for money; he is also being guilt tripped by a photographer friend (Donia Maher) who wants him to help champion the cause...
- 11/17/2020
- by Leslie Felperin
- The Guardian - Film News
Netflix has acquired Luxembourgish-Egyptian director Adolf El Assal comedy Sawah, starring popular Egyptian actor Karim Kassem as a Cairo-based DJ whose trip to Europe takes an unexpected turn when his identity papers are stolen.
Netflix has acquired Luxembourgish-Egyptian director Adolf El Assal comedy Sawah, starring popular Egyptian actor Karim Kassem as a Cairo-based DJ whose trip to Europe takes an unexpected turn when his identity papers are stolen.
Under the acquisition, the film began screening in 46 countries including the Benelux, Germany, Austria, German-speaking Switzerland, Eastern Europe and the Middle East on Thursday (May 14)
It is a second feature for Alexandria-born...
Netflix has acquired Luxembourgish-Egyptian director Adolf El Assal comedy Sawah, starring popular Egyptian actor Karim Kassem as a Cairo-based DJ whose trip to Europe takes an unexpected turn when his identity papers are stolen.
Under the acquisition, the film began screening in 46 countries including the Benelux, Germany, Austria, German-speaking Switzerland, Eastern Europe and the Middle East on Thursday (May 14)
It is a second feature for Alexandria-born...
- 5/14/2020
- by 1100388¦Melanie Goodfellow¦0¦
- ScreenDaily
Film editor Hisham Saqr, who has worked with top Egyptian talent like Ahmad Abdalla on Microphone, makes his feature directing debut with Certified Mail (Bi Elm El Wossul), a sensitive, harrowing tale about an emotionally fragile young wife and mother who has to face the trials of Job when her husband is arrested. Basma (Sheikh Jackson, Ext. Night) gets to the heart of a complex role, portraying matter-of-factly the quiet heroics demanded of a woman. This Toronto Discovery entry should have a lively run on the festival circuit and prove a launching pad for Saqr, who wrote, directed and edited the ...
- 9/16/2019
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Film editor Hisham Saqr, who has worked with top Egyptian talent like Ahmad Abdalla on Microphone, makes his feature directing debut with Certified Mail (Bi Elm El Wossul), a sensitive, harrowing tale about an emotionally fragile young wife and mother who has to face the trials of Job when her husband is arrested. Basma (Sheikh Jackson, Ext. Night) gets to the heart of a complex role, portraying matter-of-factly the quiet heroics demanded of a woman. This Toronto Discovery entry should have a lively run on the festival circuit and prove a launching pad for Saqr, who wrote, directed and edited the ...
- 9/16/2019
- The Hollywood Reporter - Film + TV
The film stars Egyptian actress Basma, best known internationally for her recurrent role in FX’s political drama Tyrant.
German sales outfit Media Luna has acquired international sales rights to Egyptian director Hisham Saqr’s debut feature Certified Mail ahead of its premiere in Tiff’s Discovery line-up in September.
Popular Egyptian actress Basma, best known internationally for her recurrent role in FX’s political drama Tyrant, plays a new mother who falls into a deep depression following the arrest and imprisonment of her husband. It is a rare exploration of the attitudes and taboos around female mental health in Arab society.
German sales outfit Media Luna has acquired international sales rights to Egyptian director Hisham Saqr’s debut feature Certified Mail ahead of its premiere in Tiff’s Discovery line-up in September.
Popular Egyptian actress Basma, best known internationally for her recurrent role in FX’s political drama Tyrant, plays a new mother who falls into a deep depression following the arrest and imprisonment of her husband. It is a rare exploration of the attitudes and taboos around female mental health in Arab society.
- 8/9/2019
- by Melanie Goodfellow
- ScreenDaily
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