New film of Mother Erene sheds a light on one of Coptic Church s greatest modern figures
CAIRO: Few other contemporary Egyptian church figures have left a similar impact like Tamav Erene s, the late Mother Superior of the St. Philopater Mercurius convent (known as Abu Seifein to Egyptians) in old Cairo, who passed away on Oct. 31 of last year at the age 71.
Tamav (a Coptic word for my mother ) Erene wasn t only the most popular and influential nun in modern Coptic history, but was widely regarded by Christians of different sects as a real saint.
A new film about Mother Erene has been creating waves among Christians in Egypt and everywhere else in the world. Fakhar El Rahbana (Honor of Priesthood), since its release a month ago, has rapidly become one of the most successful Coptic films in recent history. Nearly every church in Egypt is plastered with the film s posters and many have sold out their copies in very short period.
Osama Farouk, producer of the film, told The Daily Star Egypt that what stirred his interest to make a film about Tamav Erene are the basic dimensions of her character. She was a strong personality, he said. A woman was incredibly kind, tender and holy yet also a firm leader who protected and took care of her daughters, populated the convent and organized its spiritual life.
The broad fascination with Tamav that followed her death last year was another primary reason for Farouk s decision to produce a movie that presents her work and celebrate her life and accomplishments.
Farouk, who regards this movie along with the other ones he previously produced as part of his church service, intended to make a real film of a great quality and employed a professional cinematographer and actors to give the film as much authenticity as possible.
The problem with most Egyptian Christian movies is that they resemble a Sunday-school class than an actual film, he said. I didn t want to make a mere religious movie; I wanted to make a film that s embedded in the normal, everyday life of our society, to illustrate the importance of family and the values they inject their children with.
Farouk denied the daily paper Al-Masry Al-Youm s claims that Pope Shenouda was the one who produced the movie and stated that the article published last week was mostly fabricated.
The Pope has never produced a single movie before, he said. All Coptic films are produced by different churches and individuals like me.
Farouk also dismissed the LE 3 million the article claimed the film had grossed thus far.
The film is very successful indeed but Coptic films rarely generate profit and I haven t produced this film to yield any financial benefits, he said. We operate solely in the home video market, which s very limited and restricted mainly to churches. The number s totally unfounded and untrue.
As for the article s claim that the film used Muslim performers, Farouk also abjured these allegations, declaring that the number of Muslims who participated in making the film was confined to some extras and technicians. This was the focal point of the article, he said. The reporter just wanted to write a story about this Coptic movie that featured Muslims in it to make it look attractive and sell it to the readers.
This is not the first time Muslims have contributed to the making of a Coptic picture. Since the emergence of Christian-themed films in the early 90s, several Muslim actors, music composers, cinematographers and other film-related professionals have worked in Coptic films.
Many of Tamav s close acquaintances were satisfied with the film. Dr. Nabil Falta ous, a close friend of Tamav Erene for more than 20 years, singled-out newcomer Sally Saad for capturing the essence of her character.
Falta ous described Tamav Erene as a tremendously generous, thoughtful, down-to-earth, spontaneous, simple and transparent human being who never shut the doors of the convent for anyone in need, even in her last days when she was extremely sick.
The film charts Tamav s childhood, her adolescence, how she discovered her vocation, her early years at the convent and the last days of her life.
Raised in the Upper-Egypt city of Gerga, Suhag to a wealthy religious family, Tamav, whose real name is Fawzeya Yassa, renounced earthly pleasures and craved a different, more spiritual life with God.
Despite her parents initial rejection, Tamav Erene was admen to follow her calling.
One evening, Tamav was praying and crying when she saw a young man, standing in front of her, demanding to stop weeping. Who are you? she inquired. My name s Abu Seifein, the man answered.
Tamav rushed to the patron of her church and asked about Abu Seifein (which means the one with the two swords), who was virtually unknown to most Christians. She began to learn more about him and on Oct. 26, 1954, Tamav Erene finally joined the convent.
Tamav s encounter with St. Philopater Mercurius was the first of numerous visions and miracles she would experience later in the next decades.
Several prominent priests and bishops including Father Mina Al-Baramousi – who in 1959 became Pope Kyrillos VI – predicted that she would lead the convent someday. On Oct. 15, 1962, she was consecrated head of the convent to become, at the age of 26, one of the youngest Mother Superiors in church history.
Through Tamav Erene s great efforts, Egyptians learned about Abu Seifein and the convent ranks now among of the most visited monasteries in Egypt. Tamav s great success enabled her to build a church dedicated to Abi Seifein inside the convent -before its construction, nuns attended masses in an external adjacent church – along with another one devoted to the Virgin Mary on the site where the Virgin is believed to have stayed with baby Jesus during their trip to Egypt.
In addition, Tamav expanded the convent to build two more Abu Seifein monasteries in Sidi Kereer in Alexandria and the North Coast and under her guidance; the number of enrolling nuns in the monastery skyrocketed.
Falta ous told The Daily Star Egypt that Tamav have helped him personally through her prayers with every problem he s ever faced.
Falta ous, who used to visit the convent daily and then weekly during the past few years, referred to Tamav as the saint of our time, a real miracle worker.
He recalled one particular story as an example of her numerous miracles that she refused to discuss with anyone. The Eight-month-old baby of a friend of mine, who was born after 10 years of constant miscarriages, was stricken with severe illness one day, he said. When the baby s health deteriorated, her hysterical mother phoned Tamav. Tamav couldn t tolerate to see or hear anyone crying. She told her to go back and check on her baby who ll be ok. The moment she did, she found out that the baby was perfectly fine. The doctors, who were in denial, stated that the moment the baby started to recover occurred the minute Tamav uttered those words to my friend s wife.
Falta ous though believes that no film could encapsulate the rich life of one of Church s most beloved figures. Not a 100 film could do her justice, he said. The life and achievements of Tamav Erene are beyond the capability of any film or anyone to realize.
Farouk announced to The Daily Star Egypt that he s planning a sequel to his film that s being planned and prepared for these days.
