Egyptian films among timeless classics to be screened in Saudi's Red Sea Int'l Film Festival

Ahram Online , Thursday 27 Oct 2022

The Red Sea International Film Festival (RSIFF) will hold a section dedicated to the screening of classic films, which include Egyptian cinema gems

Treasures

 

Khaly Balak Men Zouzou (“Watch out for Zouzou,” 1972) directed by Hasan El-Emam and Gharam fil Karnak (“Love in Karnak,” 1965) by Ali Reda, are among the classics that are set to be screened within the Treasures section of the festival.

Kaleem Aftab, director of international programming for the festival, said in an official press release that the Treasures segment "has been designed to unlock film heritage and reintroduce a diverse selection of masterpieces that have made an important contribution to cinema history. These influential films have impacted our lives, and we are delighted to share them with new audiences.”

The two films are among the best known Egyptian classics and both were produced during the golden era of Egyptian cinema.

They were restored by the RSIFF working in collaboration with Arab Radio and Television Network (ART), the Egyptian Ministry of Culture’s investment holding company for cinema, and the Media Production City in Egypt.

The RSIFF's Treasures section will also showcase Jean Renoir’s La Grande Illusion (1937), a film that is considered one of the greatest cinema works ever made; Sambizanga (1972), a portrait of the anti-colonial struggle in 1970s Africa, directed by Sarah Maldoror; the epic historical war feature Lion of the Desert (1980) by Moustapha Akkad; alongside Stranger Than Paradise (1984), a debut from pioneering American indie filmmaker Jim Jarmusch; and one of the highest-grossing football films of all time, Bend it Like Beckham’ (2002), directed by Gurinder Chadha.

The second edition of the Red Sea International Film Festival will take place at the Ritz Carlton in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, 1-10 December.

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