Ismailia Film Festival commemorates iconic cinema figures

CAIRO - 7 April 2019: The 21st edition of Ismailia International Film Festival for Documentaries and Shorts celebrates a number of iconic cinema figures who have been absent from the scene lately.

The celebrated names include late director Osama Fawzi, who debuted through the movie "Afareet el-Asphalt" (Asphalt ghosts) in 1995. Fawzi’s second film was "Ganat El-Shayateen" (Paradise of the Devils) in 1999 that participated in the Locarno Festival and received the Golden Award in Damascus.

Fawzi also directed two films in cooperation with writer Hany Fawzi; “Baheb el-Cinema” (I love cinema) and “Bel Alwan el-Tabe’eya” (With natural colors). Moreover, Fawzi produced two films; “El Fas fel Ras” and “Mercedes”.

Furthermore, the festival’s 21st edition celebrates the memory of late media director Farida Arman, who presented to the Egyptian TV more than 400 documentary films and filmed most of the national songs.

Arman is a television director who graduated from the Faculty of Arts, Press Department in 1959 and worked as a trainee journalist in the newspaper Akhbar Al-Youm. Arman entered the television sector in March 1959. During that period, she worked as an assistant director and then moved on to prepare and submit programs before deciding to work as a director.

Additionally, the festival celebrates the memory of Lebanese director and scriptwriter Jocelyn Saab, who started her career in journalism after graduating. She directed several films, totaling up to 30. The Lebanese director worked as an assistant director in the film “The forger”.

Ismailia International Film Festival’s 21st edition is organized by the National Cinema Center under the chairmanship of Khaled Abdel Jalil, advisor to the minister of culture for cinema. The festival is headed by critic Essam Zakaria.

A press conference announcing the details of the festival was held on April 7 at 4 p.m. at the Conference Hall of the Supreme Council of Culture.