The AUC is hosting the Ismailia Film Festival, which entails nine days of film screenings. The international festival, which took place in June 2013, included a wide array of documentaries, feature films and shorts. Films will be screened at AUC Tahrir’s Ewart Hall at 3pm on 1-3, 5, and 7-10 October.
Some of the films that will be screened include:
Tuesday, 1 October
Odd (Egypt)
The short fictional film stars Khaled El-Nabawy and tells the story of Christian Egyptian Adel Iskandar’s return to Egypt, who finds some peculiar changes to his apartment building. The film is directed by Karim El-Shenawy, who did his postgraduate studies at Goldsmith College, University of London, and has worked with BBC, Al Jazeera and the UN.
Sleepless Nights (Lebanon)
The documentary follows Assaad Shaftari, who used to work in intelligence for the Lebanese Militia during the civil war. It also documents the life of Maryam Saidi, whose son, a communist fighter, disappeared in 1982, and her continuous quest to find him. The film is directed by Elaine Raheb, who is a founding member of Beirut DC Cinema Association and has directed 160 documentaries concerning the Middle East.
Wednesday, 2 October
Behind the Door (Egypt)
The short film discusses the idea of a mother scaring her son into submission and his reactions. The film is directed by Adham Al Sherif, a student at the High Institute for Cinema.
Glimmer (Iran)
The fictional short tells the story of an old man who is closing down his eyeglasses shop, but there is still one customer who hasn’t picked up her glasses yet. The film is directed by Omid Abdollahi, who is born in Shiraz and worked in several professions before he decided to quit and become a filmmaker. He is a double-major graduate in Architecture and Cinematography.
Electro Chaabi (Egypt)
The documentary follows the new musical genre, which began in Cairo’s slums and quickly expanded beyond them. The film explores the Electro Shaabi, not just a type of music, but a healthy outlet for troubled youth. The film is directed by Hind Meddeb, who is also a freelance journalist and reporter.
Saturday, 5 October
A Self Portrait (Egypt)
In the short documentary, the filmmaker Alia Ayman explores the limitations of Egyptian society and how they personally affect her. The film was inspired by her stay in New York for three months. Alia Ayman has a Bachelor’s degree in Psychology from the American University in Cairo.
Mashti Esmaeil (Iran)
The documentary follows an aging farmer in Iran, who, despite his troubles, remains true to his ideals as a husband, father and worker. The film is directed by Mahdi Zamanpour Kiasari, a graduate from IRIB College in TV Production and Film Directing.
Monday, 7 October
Two (Egypt)
The animated film is about a troubled relationship between a father and a daughter, and his inability to get passed something that has happened to her. The film is directed by Mokhtar Talaat, a Fine Arts graduate and co-founder of Mokaabat Studio.
Al Hara (Lebanon)
The documentary follows Isabelle and her memories she had in her home, which is located in Al-Hara (the alley). She remained alone after her siblings immigrated and had to take care of her aging parents. The film is directed by Nicholas Khoury, who graduated from the Academie Libanaise des Beaux-Arts.
In Search of Oil and Sand (Egypt)
Mahmoud Sabet discovers his family’s royal history in this documentary, which dissects the making of a small home-movie by his parents and relatives of King Farouk. The documentary is directed by Wael Omar, who graduated from Emerson College and has some experience with filmmaking in war-zones in Central Africa.
