(Photo: still from Yousry Nasrallah's Brooks, Meadows and Lovely Faces [L] and Mohammed Hammad's Withered Green [R])
The 69th edition of the Locarno International Film Festival (Festival del Film Locarno) will take place in Switzerland between 3 and 13 August, with Egyptian films to be screened among a selection of international films.
Egypt will be represented by Yousry Nasrallah's Brooks, Meadows and Lovely Faces (Al Ma’ wal Khodra wal Wajh El Hassan) and Mohamed Hammad's Withered Green (Akhdar Yabes).
Brooks, Meadows and Lovely Faces will be screened in the International Competition section.
According to the film's brief, the story depicts a family of cooks who cater for weddings in the Egyptian countryside. Refaat and Galal, the sons of Yehia the cook, eventually manage to muster up the courage and, braving social constraints, express their feelings to the women they love.
Born in 1952, Yousry Nasrallah is a writer and director who began his career as assistant to renowned Egyptian filmmaker Youssef Chahine.
Today, Nasrallah is known for many films, including El Medina (1999), After the Battle (2012) and Genenet El Asmak (2008). Nasrallah also took part in the film 18 Days, which consists of 10 shorts that focus on the Egyptian revolution, each of which directed by a different filmmaker.
Hammad's Withered Green will take part in the Concorso Cineasti del Presente (Filmmakers of the Present Competition).
It tells the story of the conservative, religious young woman Iman who adheres to traditions and customs. She suddenly finds herself in a situation that pushes her to disregard all these values.
Hammad has a number of short films to his name, including The Fifth Pound (2006), Central (2008) and Pale Red (2010), which received a number of international awards.
Withered Green marks Hammad's debut full-length feature film. Its screening in Locarno will be the film's world premiere.
For more arts and culture news and updates, follow Ahram Online Arts and Culture on Twitter at @AhramOnlineArts and on Facebook at Ahram Online: Arts & Culture
Short link: