(Photo: still from film Maulana, courtesy of the Dubai International Film Festival)
Directed by Magdy Ahmed Ali, the film Mawlana (The Preacher) will be screened on 23 March at the Metropolitan State University Film Space in Saint Paul, Minnesota, USA.
The screening is part of the the Mizna Arab Film Festival's 2018 Tour, St. Paul Edition, which kicks off on 26 January and includes screenings of five films from the Arab World.
The 2016 drama is an adaptation of the 2012 novel of the same name by Ibrahim Eissa, who also co-wrote the film’s script with director Ali.
The film follows Sheikh Hatem El-Shennawi (played by Amr Saad), a new rising star among Egyptian preachers, having thousands of followers, notably among the youth. As such, he gains interest of the media, the state security apparatus and those in power.
The film discusses how the state deals with religion. Although the film’s events take place before the 25 January Revolution, its message is generalised and not restricted to a certain period in time.
Screening of Mawlana in Pt. Paul is made possible through the Mizna Arab Film Fest 2018 Tour.
Mizna, a forum for Arab-American film, literature, and art based in Minneapolis, is also a main dynamo behind the annual Twin Cities Arab Film Festival that takes place in Minneapolis-Saint Paul.
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