nwFilmCenter

Contemporary Egyptian Cinema

Egyptian cinema, now over 100 years old, remains the major force in the film entertainment industry in the Middle East. Egyptian filmmakers have largely eschewed the contemporary art film genres that have emerged in Iran, preferring instead to make popular films that express the dreams and fears of mass audiences, while also symbolically translating and negotiating social realities. Working in an environment of government censorship that has made the overtly political problematic, during the last decade filmmakers have nonetheless explored a broad array of themes—from gender relations to feminism, from Islam to popular ideas about sexuality and morality—and found expression within the mainstream tradition. The films in this series offer frank, contemporary views of issues confronting a tradition-bound society as it grapples with changing values in a modern world. Thanks to the Middle East Studies Center, Portland State University and American Research Center in Egypt, Oregon Chapter, for co-sponsoring these free screenings.

Fri, Jun 6, 2008 at 7 PM	I LOVE CINEMA DIRECTOR: OSSAMA FAWZI EGYPT Playing like an Egyptian CINEMA PARADISO, Fawzi 's critically acclaimed I LOVE CINEMA is a funny and entertaining film in the "Hollywood on the Nile" tradition. A simple tale of a mischievous young boy who loves movies but must deal with the disapproval of his strict, religious father (an Egyptian Copt Christian), the film plays hard and fast with the sacred cows of sex, politics and religion. By choosing to focus on the wonderment that persists when the lights go down, Fawzi reminds us that during the "Golden Age" of Egyptian cinema in the '40s and '50s, Egyptian movies were among the world 's best. "The success of the film had unexpected consequences. Many Muslims have come to realize just how much they share with the Copts. The ultimate triumph of the film is that its story has been accepted as a national metaphor. It is not just a film about Copts, but about Egyptians."—Ossama Fawzi. ( 107 min ) FREE! ^ Top
Fri, Jun 6, 2008 at 9 PM	LEISURE TIME DIRECTOR: MOHAMED MOSTAFA EGYPT With no recognizable stars (uncommon) and a 19-year-old screenwriter, this surprising Egyptian box-office hit ignited controversy as it marked a major departure in the nature of Egyptian cinema. With humor, sensitivity, and an unprecedented sense of reality, Mostafa presents the desires and dilemmas of Hazem, Amr, Ahmed and Tarek, four Cairo University students from diverse backgrounds, who are forced to choose between chasing girls and getting high and deferring to familial and societal responsibility. Free of moralizing and attempts to answer difficult questions, Mostafa 's docu-fiction portrait of adolescents at the crossroads of Egyptian society resonated with audiences and received noteworthy critical and popular success. ( 94 min ) FREE! ^ Top
Sat, Jun 7, 2008 at 6:30 PM	WOMEN 'S LOVE DIRECTOR: KHALED EL HAGAR EGYPT A delightful romantic comedy, WOMEN 'S LOVE won seven major awards at the Egyptian National Film Festival. Khaled El Hagar ("the Almodóvar of Egypt") tells a story of three half-sisters brought together by the death of their mutual father. Nada, raised in Cairo, is a shy, deeply romantic soul longing for Mr. Right to come along and sweep her off her feet; Ghada, from Alexandria, doesn 't particularly like men at all; and Ro 'aya, a London-raised university professor, is looking for love now that her professional life is well established. According to the terms of their father 's will, the three must live together for one year in Cairo before they can inherit his considerable estate. Struggling at first with their unaccustomed closeness, they gradually get to know one another and discover how much they have in common. ( 110 min ) FREE! ^ Top
Sat, Jun 7, 2008 at 8:45 PM	DIARY OF A TEENAGER DIRECTOR: INAS EL DEGHIDI EGYPT Inas El Deghidi, one of the most fearless directors in Egyptian cinema today, tackles issues affecting Egyptian women in a populist and non-doctrinaire manner. Her film takes us into a girl 's private life of boys, parties, friends, and more boys. The tragedy in the film starts with premarital sex, which leaves girls unsuitable for marriage. Hymen restoration is one of the most popular forms of cosmetic surgery performed in Egypt—everybody does it, but nobody talks about it. Breaking this code of silence brought El Deghidi condemnation from Egyptian moral pundits, but also popular success. Tunisian actress Hind Sabri stars as the innocent Gamila, who imagines herself Cleopatra seeking love from her Antonio. Her wild, spoiled friend Nancy schemes to destroy them. Behind this romantic teen melodrama, El Deghidi encodes a critique of the whole system of sexual relations in Egyptian society. "Egyptian society does not permit women love, emotions or errors. The man has all the rights. I want to deal with this paradox."—Inas El Deghidi. ( 115 min ) FREE! ^ Top
Sun, Jun 8, 2008 at 6:30 PM	A GIRL 'S SECRET DIRECTOR: MAGDY AHMED ALY EGYPT Magdy Ahmed Aly graphically portrays an urban society 's struggle to balance tradition and modernity through the story of 16-year-old Yasmeen, whose out-of-wedlock pregnancy sparks scandal and tragic consequences in her conservative, bourgeois family. This controversial film articulates the many questions on the minds of most Egyptians, and Muslims around the world: Should women abide by Islam 's stringent dress code? How can parents screen out unwanted Western influences from the Internet and satellite television? Should Egyptian schools teach sex education? Should teen-age boys and girls socialize? ( 91 min ) FREE! ^ Top
Sun, Jun 8, 2008 at 8:30 PM	THE MAGICIAN DIRECTOR: RADWAN EL KASHEF EGYPT This joyful film centers on a man 's ability to create happiness from the misery surrounding him in Cairo. Mansour Bahgat, a magician and a widower, is old but ever optimistic—unlike the other poor people around him. He celebrates life constantly, offering hope to young and old who are suffering or have lost their way. But his positivist "Notion of Joy" theories are tested by his obsessive fears for his daughter, a young girl of dazzling beauty on the cusp of becoming a seductive woman. ( 95 min ) FREE! ^ Top