Documentary film 'In Search of Oil and Sand' was directed and produced by Wael Omar and Philippe Dib. Its world premiere was at the 2012 Abu Dhabi Film Festival, where it won the award for best Arab director in the documentary competition.
Sixty years after the demise of the monarchy in Egypt, Mahmoud Sabit uncovers a film about a coup d'etat, produced by Egyptian royals and aristocrats merely weeks before the royals were overthrown in an actual coup in 1952. The documentary focuses on Mahmoud Sabit, who found the original 8mm reels, as he reconstructs the original film's storyline, its real-life characters and the political backdrop against which the film was made.
"This uncanny marriage of fiction and reality reveals that the original film not only managed to unwittingly predict the fate of the King, but also foresaw the next 60 years of relations between Egypt and the West," says the film's synopsis.
The screening will be followed by a Q&A with Mahmoud Sabit.
This month, the British Council will also host two fibreglass donkeys painted by British artist Julie Oxenforth and Egyptian artist Shayma Aziz, in support of the visual arts programme of the fifth Caravan Festival of the Arts. On Thursday 23 May, both artists will give talks about their artwork and their donkeys.
Programme:
7pm, Tuesday 14 May
British Council, Agouza, Cairo
In Search of Oil and Sand Trailer (French subtitles)
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