'Islands' leaves audiences stranded
In his short film Islands, new independent director Mohammed Salah explores loneliness and connection in a series of casually linked scenes. The film was screened July 9 in Maadi's Al-Kotob…
The best of Egyptian cinema
To mark the centennial of Egyptian cinema, Al Ahram daily newspaper asked the country's top 20 critics to choose the best 15 best Egyptian films of all time. This is…
Critic queries the history of Egyptian cinema
A few weeks ago, Al Ahram's esteemed critic Nader Adly published a series of articles about the celebration of the centennial of Egyptian cinema. On June 20, more publications featured…
Jockeying for first place
Heineken kicks off local DJ competition Music is the newest method of promotion for alcoholic beverages in Egypt, with the re-launch of Heineken Music Thirst, an international competition to select…
Two wrongs don't make a right at the IMF and World Bank
One has go back to the "Year of Three Popes in 1978 to find a succession drama as strange as what has been happening at the International Monetary Fund and…
Blair might fail, but those for peace must wish him luck
The release of an abducted BBC journalist in Gaza is being seen by some as an attempt by Hamas (which denies any part in the kidnapping) to curry favor with…
A wonder that should put modern Arabs to shame
The designation last week of the modern-day Seven Wonders of the World via a global poll of 100 million people offered a nice break from the usual menu of depressing…
YOUTH VIEWS: Behind the hijab
CAIRO/IOWA CITY, IOWA/JACKSONVILLE, FLORIDA: Norhan Mohammed, an 11-year-old student, loved participating in her school s swim team, but not anymore. She left the team in May 2006 after she put…
It's back to more brutal priorities in the Arab states
Unwilling to remain on the sidelines in the reform debate in the Middle East for the past two years, Arab governments have asserted themselves against civil society activists and reformists,…
Mostly, a 'divine victory' for disinformation
It says something that one year after the summer 2006 war, we're not sure whether to celebrate Hezbollah's "divine victory or bemoan Israel's destruction of our country and its economy.…