The Egyptian director Dawood Abdel Sayed feels confident that Egyptian cinema will overcome its problems and prosper in the upcoming period, because, he says, it has the history and experience required. He himself has faced problems during the Mubarak era to find funding, but he is optimistic.
Abdel Sayed reviews Egyptian cinema and sees that it has experienced many hindrances, like the crisis after the the 1967 military defeat by Israel that witnessed an exodus of Egypt's stars. It was revived after the 1973 victory, but has faced a drop in the late 90s and is regaining its strength after the January 25 Revolution.
Sayed stated that the current lack of production resources and the decrease of profit are normal, considering the current political instability. However, he has faith that once life gets back to normal that Egyptian cinema will flourish.
Abdel Sayed noted that there is currently more freedom, therefore many eminent issues will be tapped for the first time. This, he says, will reincarnate Egyptian cinema's former glory.
As for the problems that caused the major flop in the industry, Abdel Sayed cites the reliance of distribution of Egyptian films in the Gulf countries versus the local market.
Economically-speaking, he emphasised the large salaries versus the low profits of the film, which do not cover its expenses.
Artistically-speaking, he thinks that regurgitating the same themese is a major problem, as well as the dominance of stars and their interference in the details of the making of the film and the director’s job.
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