Ruth Stevens: GFF is a step forward for Egyptian independent films

CAIRO – 25 September 2017: Embarking with optimism and a positive spirit towards the Egyptian film industry, Ruth Anne Stevens the Cultural Attaché in the American Embassy in Cairo, spoke to Egypt Today on Sunday about the efforts applied in carrying out the first anticipated edition of El Gouna Film Festival (GFF) that runs from September 22 to September 29.

Stevens optimistically spoke about the anticipated results of the workshops and film screenings, claiming that the workshops have a major role in scriptwriting, and encourages filmmakers and producers to deliver more artistic productions.

“We have been talking with the GFF board including filmmaker Amir Ramses, director of CineGouna, on how to develop the cinema platform in Egypt and encourage filmmakers and producers to accomplish more productions, and I am really pleased to say that this edition is really very well established and that’s what we attempt to see again in the second edition,” Stevens told Egypt Today.

Stevens explained the process of carrying out the workshops held in the festival, including the master class led by American film director Richard Tanne, and screenwriter Jeff Stockwell, about filmmaking production.

“We spoke with American screenwriters for many months about incorporating this American film showcase workshop and discussed the type of content that would be most useful in terms of screenwriting, distribution, marketing, and crafting new productions and Cinegouna identified with these goals,” said Stevens.

She pointed out that American showcases are greatly experienced in scriptwriting, adding that that rhetoric is internationally recognized. The organizers felt that scriptwriting needs to be presented in the festival through workshops. Mentors of the workshop were able to teach young scriptwriters the process of refining their scripts, including spotting issues in scenarios and retouching content.

Filmmakers today are not only challenged in producing a rich script, but are also required to find distribution channels that would meet their demands of reaching out to the public while supporting their artistic productions. Stevens emphasizes the difference between distribution channels from one country to another.

“Distribution channels tend to be different from country to country. We have previously done a workshop with a partner called Global Media Makers last spring that focused on the distribution of independent films,” Stevens mentioned.

She also added that the distribution channels of independent films in Egypt and the U.S. are similar to each other than those of other countries; whereas the distribution of commercial films is different.

GFF is a depiction of the full experience of the filmmaking process, thus not only operating as a networking platform but also providing deep insights on aspects of the film industry and the required effort for development.

“I think the workshops continue to play a significant role in GFF, because of the bravery it takes as a filmmaker to carry out these workshops, and sharing experience in directing and other aspects of the film industry, while also attempting to assess the delivered scripts by participants with positive and constructive criticism,” asserted Stevens.

Stevens also affirmed the harmonious interaction between the mentors and trainees, describing it as “comfortable and very professional.”
“We did some work ahead of time to make sure that the presented scripts are translated into English because they were originally either in French or Arabic since they came from Middle Eastern countries, thus making it easy for the mentors to tackle these scripts,” added Stevens.

The workshops were a result of combined efforts applied in reading the scripts, evaluation, and providing feedback. Stevens was also touched when speaking about the scripts, saying “the content is very deep.”

Tanne and Stockwell’s workshops contribute in creating a vast professional network between Egypt and other countries, hence adding to the Egyptian film scene. Stevens pointed out that agents of the film scene in Egypt can only develop through practice.

“Getting good in scriptwriting requires some practice and you don’t have to be from some country other than your home in order to master it. You need to practice to get insights of this kind of critical reading, reading others people work, and providing them feedback, and having your work read,” she explained.

She further confirmed that a scriptwriter will take different stances when targeted with criticism and will either develop the script or stand by how it was originally written and justify why he/she wrote it this way.

Stevens highlighted the importance of informal feedback from colleagues, authors, other scriptwriters, and playwrights in inspiring the creation of new ideas.

When asked about her opinion on El Gouna as a place to host an international festival, Stevens acknowledged the place’s beauty and the well-established organization of the festival saying the “organizers have done a phenomenal job.”

The Egyptian cinema scene has been one of the oldest artistic platforms that seized to exist in the MENA region and has managed to produce an ambitious variety of film works. Stevens confirms the variety of films in the scene and mentioned that the scene has room to boost independent films, as she bet that"Sheikh Jackson," which was directed by Amr Salama, would become more successful.

“I think 'Sheikh Jackson' says a lot about Egyptian society and the fact that you could tell a story like that on screen and still receive amazing reviews; and I think it is wonderful that its part of Egypt and available for the world to see,” Stevens excitingly confirmed.

Stevens described her “amazement” towards the GFF board, which she believes are thinking about the next generation of filmmakers and supporting the rise of independent films. The festival is adding up to this support through the commentary feedback received from producers and directors; however, she mentioned that the drawback of GFF is that it is not open to a wider public due to its location.

Running under an ambitious slogan; “Cinema for Humanity,” the GFF played a role in shedding light on human issues through films that tell stories with the aim of openning the minds of the viewers; a hard task to implement through actual reporting, according to Stevens.

The American Embassy’s Cultural Attache concluded the interview stating that the festival is meant to meet international standards. The embassy is currently discussing whether it will partake in the second edition next year or if another international mission would be interested in joining.

Interviewed by: Hanan Fayed, Angy Essam, Nour Eltigani
Transcribed and Written by: Fatma Khaled