Cairo's art house cinema Zawya returns after a summer break with Jews of Egypt: End of a Journey, the sequel to the highly acclaimed documentary by young director Amir Ramses.

The film opens on 20 August at Odeon Cinema in downtown Cairo.

Jews of Egypt: End of a Journey was also the opening film of this year's edition of Ismailiya International Film Festival for Documentaries and Shorts.

In the first documentary, filmmaker Ramses explores the lives of the Egyptian Jewish community in the first half of the 20th century. The work focuses on the key events that shaped their lives, namely the birth of the state of Israel in 1948, Egypt's 1952 revolution, which ended the British occupation, and the tripartite attack of 1956, which forced them into exile.

The documentary also reminds viewers of the influence of Egyptian Jews in various sectors during the first half of the 20th century, including the industries of music, cinema and retail.

Ramses started researching this largely self-funded film in 2008 and began shooting it in 2009. Filmed mostly between Cairo and Paris, the film is built on personal testimonials, giving the work a nostalgic quality besides its historical value.

Ramses started the project with the question of Egyptian identity clearly in mind. In an interview with Ahram Online in February 2013, a few weeks before the film's commercial release, he admitted, "Like any Egyptian living here within the past 10 years, I have been consumed with the quest of defining Egyptian identity."

In this second film, Jews of Egypt: End of a Journey, the filmmaker remains committed to surveying the development of Egyptian identity and society's journey towards, or away from, tolerance and acceptance of others.

Zawya, launched in March 2014, is run by Misr International Films, the film company founded by the famed Egyptian director Youssef Chahine.
MIF says it hopes to expand Zawya to other neighbourhoods and governorates.

Since its inception, Zawya has screened films from Egypt's independent film movement as well as international selections that have garnered critical acclaim elsewhere but have never appeared in Egyptian cinemas.

Jews of Egypt: End of a Journey is the first documentary to screen in Zawya's regular schedule since its inception.




Programme:
Wednesday 20 August for one week at least (3.30pm, 6.30pm, 9.30pm)
Special talk with film's cast on opening night following 6.30pm screening
Odeon Cinema, 4 Abdel-Hamid Said Street, off Talaat Harb Street, Downtown Cairo


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