With El-Gouna Film Festival kicking off on 23 October, the CineGouna platform launched its activities earlier today at the TU Berlin University with a discussion with Indian star Ali Fazal.

The conversation shed light on Fazal's artistic career in Hollywood and the significant roles he played opposite many stars, like in Stephen Frears’ Victoria and Abdul (2017), a biographical satire based on a true story about the relationship between Queen Victoria and her Indian Muslim servant Abdul Karim.

Starring opposite Judi Dench was a unique experience for Fazal, who said that “acting in front of a talented star makes the job easier.”

However, he said, depicting a true historical character had its own challenges.

“I had to read a lot of books to know the character of Abdul.”

Fazal’s latest appearance was in the film Death on the Nile (2020), directed by Kenneth Branagh. The film is based on the novel by Agatha Christie, in which detective Hercule Poirot investigates the murder of a young inheritor aboard a cruise ship on the River Nile.

The fourth edition of the CineGouna Bridge (25-29 October) is dedicated to present workshops, panel discussions and master classes bringing together Arab filmmakers with their international counterparts in a dialogue between different cinema experiences featuring various up-to-date topics.

CineGouna is part of El-Gouna Film Festival, whose fourth edition is taking place between 23 and 31 October.

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