Egyptian film Karma will be screened in cinemas as previously permitted, says director Khaled Youssef
Ahram Online , Tuesday 12 Jun 2018


Well-known Egyptian director and MP Khaled Youssef announced on Tuesday that his latest film Karma will be screened in cinemas during Eid Al-Ftir holiday as previously scheduled, a day after the censorship authority cancelled the permit for its screening.

In a video posted on Tuesday on his Facebook page, Youssef said that the film will screen on schedule and without censorship after the intervention of "high level authorities" in Egypt, which he did not name.

He added that preview screenings, which were scheduled for Tuesday, will also be held on time.

On Monday, the Censorship Authority at the Ministry of Culture announced that it has rescinded the screening permit of the film, which was initially granted a permit on 30 April, citing “the violation of the terms and conditions under which the licence was given," without providing specifics.

The film stars Amr Saad, Khaled El-Sawy, Ghada Abdel-Razek, and Maged El-Masry.

According to a synopsis on elcinema.com, "the film tells the story of a young Muslim man who falls in love with a Christian, who wed despite their families’ disapproval. Concurrently the film explores the narrative of a businessman entangled in corruption, with two stories intersecting to explore social relationships between members of different religions."

Karma is a production of Misr International Films.

The decision by the censorship authority immediately created an uproar among filmmakers and actors in Egypt.

On Monday night, the members of the cinema committee of the Supreme Council of Culture, including veteran director Omar Abdel Aziz, producer Mohamed El-Adl and Boutros Daniel of the Egyptian Catholic Centre for Cinema, signed a mass letter of resignation addressed to the culture minister, to protest the cancellation of the permit amid what they described as "unprecedented ruining of the climate of freedom of opinion and creativity, as well as clear disregarding of artists and intellectuals."

The three-day Islamic holiday of Eid Al-Fitr begins on Friday.

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