One the activities of this year’s round of the Cairo International Film Critics Week, was a film criticism workshop organised by the Egyptian Film Critics Association. The workshop, which took place in the Cairo Opera House from 17-21 November during the Cairo International Film Festival, was given by chief video essayist at Fandor and critic Kevin B. Lee.
Organised and coordinated by well-established and involved individuals in the field of cinema, such as critic Rasha Hosny and director and critic Ahmed Hassouna, the workshop gave students a platform to reflect on different methods of film criticism, using different tools, such as essays, videos, presentations, and debates.
The workshop also entailed that students produce and edit their own criticism videos where they practised public speaking and reflected on the main aspects of the films they watched.
The 10 participants, mostly young aspiring critics, were given the freedom to select and reflect on the different films screened during the festival. The films included classics based on William Shakespeare’s stories, modern Chinese cinema, documentary films, as well as films selected by the Critics Week and the official competition.
Daily News Egypt publishes the 10 best reviews, selected by the instructor of the workshop.
Links to the reviews:
Juste la Fin du Monde: a family’s sweetest kind of lie
By Yasmin Shehab
By Steffanie Ling
Stopover: the anatomy of the warrior’s rest
By Rami El Metwali
Kills on Wheels: unusual story of empowerment
By Omar El Hanafi
This Little Father Obsession: searching for an identity
By Mohamed Tarek
Mimosas: a holy fool’s journey across Moroccan landscapes
By Mohamed Shehata
The Train of Salt and Sugar: an odyssey of bitter and sweet
By Mohamed Sayed Abdel Rehim
Together For Ever: growing emotions
By Doaa Mohsen
Kills on Wheels: looking for a hero
By Caroline Karmy
Lipstick under my Burkha: politicising the very female body
By Adham Youssef