All what you need to know about Ismailia International Film Festival for Documentary &Shorts

BY

Angy Essam

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Tue, 15 Jun 2021 - 09:41 GMT

BY

Angy Essam

Tue, 15 Jun 2021 - 09:41 GMT

CAIRO - 15 June 2021: The 22nd edition of Ismailia International Film Festival for Documentary and Short Films headed by acclaimed film critic Essam Zakaria will kick off from June 16 -22.

 

The festival management chose the Swiss film "Farah" directed by Julia Banter to be the opening movie.

 

Bunter talked about her experience of making “ Farah” and said: “ I moved to Cairo in 2015 to make this film, and fell in love with this country and its capital, and its social structure, which is characterized by complexity and attractive contradictions, which can be fascinating and disturbing at the same time.  Rather than presenting marriage as an eternal union between two people, the film attempts to use it as an excuse to talk about men and women, and the social pressures that young couples face every day.

  
Critic Essam Zakaria, head of the festival commented on this choice “The long documentary film takes place in "80 Minutes", where it paints a picture of modern Cairo and the society in which it must confront today's generation, the pressure of deep-rooted traditions, and the cultural and economic turmoil that forces Egyptian society to rediscover itself through three socially different pairs, culturally and religiously.
 
 
 Julia Bunter  was born in Geneva, Switzerland in 1990, and studied cinema at the Art School in Lausanne.
 
Her graduation project was “Day of the Dr." 
 
 
“Egypt is currently striving for development, and its society is torn between Western ideas of freedom and the desire to respect the traditional roles of men and women in society.  In trying to discover the components of marriage in this country, I was struck by the cruelty of social restrictions and their intrinsic violence against individuals.  However, I did not consider the necessity of marriage as a problem that young Egyptians should get rid of in order to live free and happy” Bunter said.
 
Bunter participated in several international festivals, including the Clermont-Ferrand International Film Festival.
 
She directed the short documentary "At Home" in 2015, and "Farah" is her first feature-length documentary.
 
 
 
 
 
 
  "The family is a basic pillar of this society, and marriage is inevitable.  The film presents this as fact without questioning its legitimacy.  Moreover, even if young couples are not suspicious of the institution of marriage, they ask questions, and it is precisely these moments of doubt that excite me.  Egyptian society practices a form of violence towards the individual, but in my opinion it is not a kind of “clash of civilizations. The social pressure associated with marriage is present in Switzerland as well, but it is more violent in Egypt, and most importantly it takes a different form. The film explores this difference without judging or condemning it, but it confirms my point of view on some questions.I hope, in presenting the contradictions and paradoxes of the film's heroes, that their humanity emerges behind these differences” Bunter recounted.
 
She concluded “Between the sense of humor and the emotions that result from the importance of the ideas presented, I wanted a strong, intense and gentle film at the same time, like Cairo and my heros by providing an opportunity for the intimate, honest voices of my heroes, the film allows us to learn about the aspirations and fears of Egyptian youth today.”

 

The festival has prepared a collection of books on the history of Egyptian cinema and documentary cinema, written by a group of senior Egyptian writers, critics and filmmakers.

 
Among these important cinematic books: "The History of Egyptian Cinema", which was written by the writer and critic Mahmoud Qassem, "Kamal Ramzy, the Visionary" book by Dr. Hussein Abdel Latif, 
"Documentary Cinema...The Film Genre...The Fall of Borders and Restrictions", which was written by Ahmed Abdel Aal, Diaa Hosni, Alia Talaat, Mohamed Sayed Abdel Rahim and Rami El Metwally.
 
The festival will present also “The Cinema of Reality… Its View of the Modernity of Contemporary Documentary Cinema” book  by the critic and director Salah Hashem,  “Pillars of Egyptian Cinema in the Twentieth Century” by Egyptian director Hashem  Al-Nahhas),  “Youssef Idris Between  Literature and Cinema” by the great scriptwriter Atef Bishai and finally "The Faces of Truth, Trends and Experiences in Egyptian Documentary Cinema" book by veteran film critic Safaa Al-Leithi.
 
 
The festival mangment announced the final formation of the jury committees for the four competitions of the festival.
 
“The jury for the long and short documentary film includes the well-known Emirati director, "Nujoum Al-Ghanim, because of her well-known cinematic history in the field of short films, most notably "Between Two Banks", the first documentary film to participate in the name of the UAE in an international film festival in 1999, which is  The Yamagata International Film Festival for Documentary Films, and her films later became participating in international film festivals. The committee also includes director and film producer Dejan Petrovic, founder and general manager of the Independent Film Center (Filmart), and works as a professor in the Department of Film and Television Direction at the Academy of Arts in Belgrade, the committee also houses Egyptian director Hala Khalil, one of the most important Egyptian directors, in addition to the Iraqi-French director Abbas Fadel, whose great documentary film (Homeland: Iraq in Year Zero) won several awards from important international festivals” said the artistic director of the festival Safaa  Mourad.
 
The jury members of the Narrative and Animation Film Competition includes the animator and screenwriter "Thomas Wells", whose films have won many awards from international film festivals such as the "Huesca" and "Cartagena" Film Festival.
 
He also recently presented the animated film “A Magical Dream", which won 25 prizes during its tour in 150 festivals around the world. The second jury member is famed Egyptian scriptwriter Tamer Habib and the Moroccan director Abdel Elah El Gohary, a Moroccan film director and critic, who teaches cinematography and film analysis at the Technical Institute specialized in audiovisual, in Rabat.  He has directed several cinematic books and directed a number of feature films, short and documentary films, participated in a number of local and international festivals and won many awards.
 
The committee also includes Elena Korseva, CEO of  Cinepromo, one of the largest short film distribution companies in Russia, and is a general producer at the Telemania Film Festival, which is held at Ostankino TV.
 
The committee also includes producer and director Benjamin Kortici from Macedonia, founder of Galatica Pictures Studio during which he produced five short films, and co-produced a feature film and other short films.  He directed three short films, (Decision), (Dialogue on Life), and (The Beginning) which won ten international awards and was shown in more than 150 festivals around the world. 
 
He has also been a member of the juries of the Reykjavik Vision and Dhaka International Film Festivals.
 
Mourad further  indicated that the jury of Al-Fibrisi includes in its membership the Egyptian critic Marwa Abu Aish, the Syrian critic Lama Tayara, in addition to the Italian critic Massimolici.
 
As for the last competition which is the Student Films Competition, it houses the great Egyptian director Khaled Bahgat and the Egyptian director Dina Abdel Salam and Naga Al Ashkar, director of the All People Cinema Club.
 
 
14 films will compete in the short documentary competition: 
 
1-“A City and a Woman” directed by Nicolas Khoury. The film tackles a huge explosion that occurred Beirut on August 4, where all the features of human life disappeared, and a woman roams the city among the horrific scenes of destroyed buildings and deserted streets filled with rubble and tangled metal.  
 
2-The  Polish film "Between Us" directed by Dorota Propa. The film presents an intimate portrait of three different relationships, as each couple decides to have an honest discussion that begins with a set of seemingly simple questions, then slowly creates a space for exchanging feelings and hidden confessions.
 
Also from Poland is the movie "The Sailor" directed by Crispin Blota, and the events take place through the legendary eighty-year-old captain Krzysztof Baranowski, who has no plans to leave the sea, and does his best to build a massive training ship that will serve future generations.
 
And competing for the competition prizes is the Spanish film "Heartpies" directed by Octavio Guerra, and during the film, the wind is blowing strong on Heartpies, the home of (Alice) in France, so that summer will be her last this year, while it is the first for her granddaughter (Dario).
 
France is participating in the competition with the film "I call you to execute me" directed by Nino Kertadza, and the events revolve around the Russian writer Boris Pasternak (1890 - 1960), who realizes that he will not be able to publish his novel (Doctor Zhivago) in the Soviet Union, because of its criticism of the October Revolution, so he decided to smuggle several copies  of his manuscript outside the country.
 
It also presents the Polish-French film "Do not sing" directed by Yardji Michalek, and the film chronicles a stage in the life of the Poly Rhythmo de Cotonou band, one of the most important musical groups in West Africa, and most of their work was during the Marxist rule in Benin, and the price they paid for their continuation in the music industry.  .
 
Also participating in the competition is the movie "Uncle Tudor", which is produced by Hungary, Portugal, Romania and Russia, and directed by Olga Lukovnikova. During the film, the director returns to her grandparents' home after 20 years, where she went through painful events and left a deep imprint in her memory forever.
 
Nature has a share in the short documentary competition through the movie "Naya - The Forest Has a Thousand Eyes", a German-Dutch production directed by Sebastian Mulder, and the events take place through a GPS-monitored wolf, walking from Germany to Belgium, and leading the first wolf to appear in Belgium  A century ago, it made headlines, then vanished from the public eye, and this footage explores the relationship between humans and this iconic wild animal.
 
From Brazil, the film "Paradise Kiosk for Newspapers and Magazines", directed by Giovanni Giovannini, is shown. The film reviews the present of Brazil, which is printed in the modern form of precarious employment, where its owner, Siu Nene, clings to religious faith and the hope that life will change its course through the lottery.
 
Chinese director Wang Yuyan also presents "1001 Attempts to Be an Ocean", a French production that reflects the experience of not being able to see the world with deep awareness, and the narration made up of small events unfolds from a satisfying video, in a certain way by referring to euphoria and a little music.
 
It is produced by a French-Armenian and directed by Fovig Hagopian. The film "Storgetnia" is shown, and the events take place in Yerevan, where men and women walk in the Avan salt mine, 230 meters underground, so that they can breathe easily.  Physical activities and medical consultations set the rhythm of the eternal world of this underground medical center, where life intersects and stories are told.
 
Also participating in the competition is the film “Orchestra from the Land of Silence,” directed by Lucia Kasova. The events revolve around Marzia, the violinist of the first Afghan female orchestra, and through her eyes we follow the daily reality of the girls in the orchestra.  Despite the improvement of the situation in Afghanistan, playing music is still unacceptable, especially for women.
 
Also shown in the competition is the movie "puberty" directed by Elena Kondrateva, and the events revolve around "I", a divorced woman in her fifties, specializing in natural childbirth, and despite her achievements, she does not feel happy and her four children try to help her overcome her loneliness through  Find her a lover.
 
 
Ismailia Festival is organized annually by the National Film Center headed by the scriptwriter "Mohamed Al-Basousy.
 
 
 
 The festival will follow all the precautionary measures to ensure the safety of all its guests and participants.
 
The Ismailia Festival is one of the oldest festivals in the Arab world and the first Arab festival that specializes in documentaries and short films. Its first session began in 1991.

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