Strong Egyptian participation in Málaga Film Festival

CAIRO – 11 March 2019: The Arab Cinema Center (ACC) and Málaga Film Festival selected the feature film project "Montreal Girls" directed by Patricia Chica to participate in Málaga Film Festival Fund and Co-production event.

Also, "Noom El-Deek" by Egyptian-American director Seif Abdalla was selected to participate in the Málaga Work In Progress event. Malaga Film Festival will run from March 15-24.

"Montreal Girls" is Patricia Chica's feature debut after directing 20 shorts. Her shorts have been warmly received by audiences and won her over 25 awards and five nominations from international film festivals.

"Montreal Girls" tells the story of an exciting new world that opens up for Egyptian student Basil when he meets two women who shatter his perceptions and reveal his destiny to him. "Montreal Girls" stars rising Egyptian actor Ahmed Malek.

Egyptian American filmmaker Seif Abdalla studied film at the Los Angeles Film School. He made many experimental short films that got him recognition in the festival circuit and won awards, including "Norhan", which was selected for the Short Film Corner at the Cannes Film Festival 2016. "Noom El-Deek" is his debut feature documentary.

"Noom El-Deek" is a Sudanese phrase which roughly translates to "the roosters sleep on a rope", but it carries a different meaning; a person who tries to sleep standing, trapped between a state of slumber and wakefulness, one who is stuck in limbo; such is the reality of Sudanese refugees living in Cairo.

The winning film project of the MAFF - Málaga Film Festival Fund & Co-production Event will have the opportunity to connect with the international funding institutions attending the festival and producers from Spain and other European countries, while the Málaga Work In Progress focuses on financing film production, facilitating its completion and international distribution.

Through its website, the Arab Cinema Center had announced call for submissions to Arab film projects for participating in Málaga Film Festival Fund & Co-production Event and Málaga Work In Progress.

This comes in light of an agreement between the Arab Cinema Center and the Málaga Film Festival that acknowledges the selection of Arab film projects to participate in the festival's activities.

Under this agreement, the Málaga Film Festival covers the accommodation and accreditation for the producers or directors of the film projects taking part in both the co-production fund event and the workshop.
This is the first initiative dedicated to the Arab film industry in the history of the Málaga Film Festival.

The Málaga Film Festival was launched in 1998. Through its previous editions, the festival helped in supporting and boosting Spanish films on both national and international levels, along with promoting the Spanish city of Málaga as a cultural city open to different cultures. The Málaga Film Festival aims to promote film culture and reach audiences from all over the world.

This initiative comes as part of the ACC's strategy of promoting the Arab film industry internationally and supporting Arab filmmakers.