Egyptian and Arab presence in Cannes Film Festival

CAIRO – 7 May 2018: Egyptian and Arab presence in the upcoming edition of the most prestigious film festival in the world, Cannes International Film Festival, is significantly prominent.

During the 71st edition of Cannes International Film Festival, scheduled to run between May 8 and May 19, the Egyptian movie “El Maseer” (The Destiny) will screen on Sunday May 13 at 9 p.m.

The movie, released in 1997, is considered one of the classics of the Egyptian cinema; it is written and directed by late great director, Youssef Chahine, and stars a notable group of Egyptian actors, including Leila Elwi, Khaled el Nabawy, Nour el Sherif, Hany Salama, Mohmaed Mounir, Safia el Amary, Rojina, and Mahmoud Hemeida. Leila Elwi will travel to Cannes to attend “El Maseer” screening. "This is the least I can do to honor the soul of the great Chachine,” Elwi recounted.

Chahine, or “The Professor” as dubbed by his students, is considered one of Egypt’s greatest directors, having filmed a wide variety of films along over five decades.
Chahine was born in Alexandria in 1926. He travelled to Hollywood to study acting in Pasadena Playhouse, California in 1946. Upon his return, he decided to shift from acting to directing.

Chahine directed his first film “Baba Amin” (Dady Amin) in 1950. The following year, he directed his second film, “Ibn El-Nil” (Son of the Nile), which was his first film to be featured at the Cannes Film Festival. Another famous film of chahine, “Al-Ikhtiyar” (The Choice), was awarded a Golden Tanit in Carthage Film Festival in 1970.

Nine years later, “Eskenderia Leh” (Alexandria …Why?), which is directed by Chahine and narrates his early life, won a Silver Bear and a Special Jury prize in Berlin International Film Festival.

He continued the autobiographic quartet with “Hadouta Masryia” (An Egyptian story) in 1982, “Eskendria Kaman we Kaman” (Alexandria Again and Again) in 1990 and “Eskendria…New York” (Alexandria…New York) in 2004.

Chahine cooperated with legendary singer Dalida in “El-Youm El-Sades” (The Sixth Day) where she played the role of a poor, humble Egyptian woman. He also established a production company named “Aflam Masr El-Alamya” (Misr International Films), producing plenty of films, some of which were directed by other directors, such “Shafiqa we Metwally” (Shafiqa and Metwally) by Aly Badrakhan.

"El-Maseer" (The Destiny) was nominated for the Palme d'Or in 1997, and against all expectations, the film did not win any prizes in the festival. His cooperation with French production companies and choosing themes appealing to the western taste were his key to get into the international arena. In 1997, Chahine was awarded, among many other awards, the 50th annual Lifetime Achievement Award at the Cannes Film Festival. Youssef Chahine left a legacy of 42 movies, starting in 1950 with “Baba Amin” and ending with “Heya Fawda” in 2007.

Chahine had a unique style in directing his movies. He used to act for the actors to get them to perform the scene as he wants them to; this was shown clearly in his brilliant movie “Al Mohager” (The Immigrant), where the Pharaohs were speaking in a colloquial dialect, in the way he himself talks.

Chahine had a very distinct way of speaking: short and fast. This pattern was criticized widely, yet the movie was a huge success, although controversial due to the notion that the hero of the movie is Prophet Joseph. According to the religious edict of Al-Azhar, prophets should not be impersonated in drama. Chahine changed the name to “Ram” and bypassed the decision. The images literally talked in this movie due to the talent of genius Ramses Marzook, the director of photography.

A total of 10 of Chahine's films participated at the Cannes Film Festival during his career which are:

1. "Ibn El-Nil" (Son of the Nile) - 1951

2. "Sera’ fi Al-Wadi" (Struggle in the Valley) - 1954

3. "El-Ard" (The Land) - 1969

4. "Al-Asfour" (The Sparrow) - 1972

5. "Wada’an Bonaparte" (Goodbye Bonaparte) - 1985

6. "El-Youm El-Sades" (The Sixth day) -1986

7. "Eskendria Kaman we Kaman" (Alkexandria Again and Again) - 1990

8. "El-Maseer" (The Destiny) - 1997

9. "El-Akhar" (The Other) - 1999

10. "Alexandria…New York" - 2004

A number of Arab films are officially participating in the 71st Cannes Film Festival. “Yomeddine” and “Kafr Naoum” movies will participate in the festival’s official competition, while “Sofia” and “Qomashty el-Mofadala” (My Favorite Cloth) will screen in the Un Certain Regard section.

“Yomeddine” (Judgment Day) revolves around a leprosy patient who escaped from the hospital along with one of his friends in order to search for his family. “Yomeddine” is directed by Egyptian-Austrian director Abu Bakr Shawky.

“Kafr Naoum” directed by famous Lebanese director Nadine Labaki tells the story of a rebellious child living in a poor area who decided to file a suit against his parents because they gave birth to him in this cruel world.

Following the decision to allow the establishment of movie theaters, Saudi Arabia is taking the next step and for the first time ever, is participating in the 71st Cannes Film Festival in France.

The news came from the recently formed Saudi Film Council, which announced its participation, according to The National, and will launch internationally with its own space at Cannes.

The kingdom will come to the festival with its own pavilion, allowing visitors of the Cannes Film Festival to meet and converse with filmmakers, industry professionals and actors from Saudi Arabia, and allowing the kingdom to become a more desirable spot for film locations. The Saudi Film Festival will also be hosting a wide range of industry events that will allow for a better understanding of the region's interests in the film world.

Saudi Arabia's official selection of contributing films will be announced on Thursday; for now it is known that nine short films will be participating as part of the Cannes Film Festival's Short Film category on May 14 and 15.

Cannes chief Thierry Frémaux spoke warmly of Saudi Arabia's debut in a statement, according to Deadline:

“I am thrilled that Saudi Arabia has launched the Saudi Film Council with a clear focus on nurturing its filmmaking talent and sharing Saudi stories with the world. Its participation is a great way of opening up global opportunities for its creative talent. The many young filmmakers among the Saudi delegation will have access to the world’s most prestigious film festival, including meaningful interactions with leading, international film industry professionals.”

It is worth mentioning that “Black Panther” was the first film to screen at Saudi Arabia's new AMC Multiplex that opened in Riyadh on April 18. Saudi Arabia's newfound interest in the film industry is an important part of its Vision 2030 plan, which aims to diversify and strengthen the economy by weaning it off oil and looking into other industries, such as entertainment.