Egyptian artists, films receive recognition at Carthage Film Festival

Ahram Online , Monday 23 Dec 2024

Egyptian artists and films were recognized at the Carthage Film Festival (14-21 December), with two creators receiving awards and one a special mention.

§

 

Sherif El-Bendary’s Better Than Earth won the Silver Tanit in the Short Film Competition.

Hany Adel won the Best Music award for the Lebanese film Arzé, and the festival's jury gave Seeking Haven for Mr. Rambo a special mention.

El-Bendary began his career by directing the short films Six Girls (2005), Rise and Shine (2006), and At Day’s End (2008).

Later, he collaborated with a list of renowned directors to make the documentary film 18 Days, which was screened at the 2011 Cannes International Film Festival.

His film Dry Hot Summers (2015) won several awards, including Best Short Film at the Malmö Arab Film Festival.

In 2016, he directed Ali, the Goat and Ibrahim, starring Ahmed Magdy, Asser Yassin, and Nahed El-Sebai, among others.

He also directed the TV series Al Gamaa Part 2 (2017), which was written by veteran screenwriter Wahid Hamed, and the short film Sunday At Five (2019), which he wrote.

Arzé, by Mira Shaib, follows the story of a single mother (Diamand Abou Abboud) who takes her teenage son (Bilal Al-Hamwi) on a journey across sectarian Beirut, in search of their stolen scooter, their only source of livelihood.

Meanwhile, Seeking Haven for Mr Rambo, which premiered at the Venice International Film Festival earlier this year, is Khaled Mansour's debut feature film after directing several short films screened in several international and regional festivals. 

The film, co-written by Mansour and Mohamed El-Hosseiny, stars Essam Omar (in his first cinematic experience), Rakeen Saad, Sama Ibrahim, and Ahmed Bahaa, the co-founder of Sharmoofers band.

The drama film tells the story of Hassan (Essam Omar), a young man in his thirties who is forced to confront the fears of his past.

He embarks on a journey of self-discovery, which includes a quest to save his dog and best friend Rambo from an unknown fate.

Short link: