How can you think when you can’t eat? Inspiration doesn’t come from poverty. Today cinema is ultimately commercial with no message, said Mona Ghandour, author of the book “Sultanat El Shasha: Leaders of Egyptian Cinema, in a cozy discussion on Wednesday evening.
The event set out to be a press conference for the opening of Villa Grey, but turned into a heated debate lead by Ghandour about the glamour Egyptian cinema once possessed, its current deteriorating state and the hope for its future.
Villa Grey is the newest hotspot for culture and art in Cairo. Owned by the international advertising agency Grey Worldwide, the space is also the headquarters of the Egyptian branch managed by Gerard Avedissian, who is personally involved in the culture center.
“We wanted to establish a connection with Egyptian society so we decided to do it through art, events and music . It is financed by the agency, it is not commercial the aim is not to make money, he told Daily News Egypt.
Entrance to the villa will be free during all events, and paintings will be sold at their lowest prices as Grey will not be taking a cut from the artists.
The space itself called Villa Hindawy in Dokki is a spacious, beautiful house that has been restored to emphasize the Islamic architectural style. The events will be taking place in two wide indoor rooms and the garden.
Villa Grey will offer different types of events such as themed exhibitions of paintings, sculpture, graphic art, original and daring modern installations, songs or performances (in a café-theater style), book signings (in association with Diwan bookstore), documentary showings, fashion shows, auctions, readings of new plays or film scripts, poetry reading evenings, as well as tributes to famous local, regional or international artists.
Weekly Cine-Club will be held in the garden during good weather and indoors when it gets cold. The movie club will screen rare and contemporary films, namely those works that are considered pioneers in the industry. Beforehand, a short film by a local director will be screened followed by a debate.
Villa Grey opened with an event inspired by Ghandour’s book, which talks about the loves and losses of the six women who paved the road for Egyptian cinema, and all the difficulties they faced. The women are Aziza Amir, Asia Dagher, Bahidja Hafez, Fatma Rushdy, Mary Queenie and Amina Mohammed.
With this theme in mind, an art exhibition was developed depicting the most influential and memorable women in Egyptian cinema history by artists Jihad Ramadan – a young Lebanese artist with a unique and modern vision – and Marcello Carrozzini, an Italian painter who added his individual touch.
Journalists Mohamed Diab recovered old monochrome photographs of these stars, and the artists transformed them into funky modern pieces, each unique in its own way, complementing the star at the center.
Nadia Lotfy for example, is wearing dark sunglasses and stands in the center, surrounded by psychedelic lines and circles in a retro style.
Belly dancer/actress Tahia Carioca is surrounded with peacock feathers, Bahiga Hafez covered in multicoloured butterflies and Hind Rostom encircled with Champaign glasses and bursting with her acclaimed sexuality.
The concept of this villa is new to Grey in the Middle East, although Avedissian explains that it is a popular concept for big advertising agencies in Paris, New York and London.
“Sultanat El Shasha: Leaders of Egyptian Cinema by Mona Ghandour is available at Diwan bookstore.
Next up at Villa Grey a photography exhibition by Thierry Gicquel.
Villa Grey24 Abdallah Al Kateb St., Dokki, CairoBetween Finni Square and El-Nil St, Tel: (02) 2338 218/ 2749 1496Email: [email protected]
