CAIRO: When scriptwriter Jasmine Samy and independent filmmaker Sherif Al-Mahdy formed a group on facebook.com gathering independent film artists from Egypt and the Arab World, they never imagined that a few months later their online community would break the virtual boundaries and be active in real life.
“Our group on Facebook eventually gathered hundreds of people sharing our dream about changing the status of independent and digital filmography, 25-year old Samy told Daily News Egypt.
Under the motto: “Cinema is everybody’s right , the founders and members of the Arab Creators Community for Short and Digital Movies dream of raising the people’s awareness of independent films.
“Independent films have always been confined to appear at festivals and cultural centers, Samy said.
“Independent filmmaking is an art on its own not a primary step in a filmmaker’s career, Al-Mahdy reflected.
The group founders have a revolutionary idea to publicize their films. “Why don’t movie theaters present short narratives before films as they do with trailers and commercials? Samy wondered.
Invading the silver screens is not the group’s single dream, though. “I wish Amm Ahmed the grocer, who doesn’t go to the movies, can one day watch our films on a popular TV channel, Al-Mahdy noted.
One month after their first meeting in January, a committee of prominent cinema professors, filmmakers, photography directors and scriptwriters watched the films presented by the community members and picked up the best 13.
The group finally celebrated the realization of part of their dream at the Geothe Institute, where the selected short narratives were screened for the public on a one-day show.
“We chose these films based on the filmmakers’ ability to be creative within their limited resources, scriptwriter Mohamed Refaat told Daily News Egypt.
One group member, John Ikram, directed “Moghlaq Lelwafah (Closed for Death), a 9-minute highly artistic and expressive film that cost him LE 300.
“I directed and photographed the film, a friend edited it, and some talented friends did the acting, 30-year-old Ikram told Daily News Egypt.
The new community’s filmmakers are determined to go on the road they set for themselves and further communicate with their fellow filmmakers on a regional level. “We began swimming in a big, high-waved sea and will reach the shore no matter what, Samy firmly said.
The advent of digital filmography paved the way for thousands of young people to showcase their talents at a relatively low cost even if they have no academic background in cinema or TV.
“Every year about 3,000 applicants sign up to join the Cinema Institute; only 64 of them are selected, Cinema Institute Professor Mona Al-Sabban told Daily News Egypt.
Al-Sabban hopes for more support and financial aid for independent artists who depend on themselves to learn through practice and trial and error.
