The Tale of Daye's Family (Daye: Seret Ahl El Daye), directed by Egyptian filmmaker Karim El-Shenawy, will be screened in Berlinale's Generation competitive segment.
This is the film's second important appearance following its world premiere as the opening film of the fourth edition of the Red Sea International Film Festival (5-14 December).
"There are not enough words to describe how grateful I am to all of my travel partners in front of and behind the camera, the supporters of the experience, and most of all, my wife," the director wrote on social media, expressing his happiness to have the film screened at Berlinale.
Written by Haitham Dabbour, the film follows the story of an 11-year-old albino Nubian boy who dreams of going on a magical journey from south to north Egypt to pursue his dream of becoming a singer.
Egyptian film critic Ahmed Shawky described El-Shenawy's film as an adventure: "Everything in the film is adventurous, starting from its theme, which follows an albino child (a 'sun enemy') from one of the Nubian villages. He suffers from bullying by his peers and the overprotective nature of his mother. He dreams of becoming a singer like his idol, Mohamed Mounir. Then, the opportunity comes as a chance to participate in a talent show. He embarks on a long journey from the far south of Egypt to Cairo, accompanied by his young music teacher, his mother, and his sister, who feels jealous of the mother's favouritism toward him."
Shawki also underscored the protagonist, "a child with a unique appearance, leaving no room for a main role to be played by a star. Most events occur outside the capital, in vast external locations scattered across various cities not accustomed to cinematic filming. No filming location is used more than two or three times in the entire film not to mention the costs of obtaining the rights to the songs and music that were used at every stage of the film and the importance of carefully selecting what pieces to play to benefit the story."
The Egyptian-Saudi co-produced film was among the 15 international films in this segment announced by the festival on 17 December.
The film stars Saudi actress Aseel Omran, Sudanese actress Islam Mubarak, and Egyptian actors Haneen Said and Badr Mohamed.
Before filming Gunshot (2018), starring Ahmad El-Fishawi, Mohamed Mamdouh, and Rubi, El-Shenawy was an assistant director (AD) in several important productions. He worked as an AD in Mohamed Diab's Clash (2016). This film garnered over a dozen awards, including four wins at the Carthage Film Festival (2016) and countless nominations, including at the Un Certain Regard section of the Cannes Film Festival. Clash was Egypt's nomination to the Academy Awards but was not shortlisted.
The Berlin International Film Festival's Generation segment includes two competition programmes: Generation Kplus and Generation 14plus. Both focus on coming-of-age stories for young audiences.
Running since 1951, the upcoming 75th edition of the Berlin International Film Festival (Berlinale) will take place between 13 and 23 February 2025.
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