Next week sees the Downtown Contemporary Arts Festival (D-CAF) host a four-day ‘Middle East Focus’ programme that focuses on Arab artists.

D-CAF has since 2012 aimed to bring audiences a multitude of arts from the Arab world, ranging from theatrical performances, dance, film, music and discussions.



"We're inviting 30 of the world's top programmers and festival directors to attend, see the works, meet the artists," Ahmed El-Attar, D-CAF's founder and artistic director told Ahram Online about the Middle East Focus before the festival kicked off. "Not only is [the festival] a showcase for the general public, but also for the festival's organisers."

By inviting international festival curators, Attar hopes to increase the region's participation in international festivals and at the same time offer a platform for the artists within D-CAF that is somehow spotlighted.

The Middle East Focus begins on 3 April with the world premiere of dance performance 'Violence Lointaine', a co-production of Egypt, Congo, France and Switzerland, directed by Egypt's Omar El-Ghayatt, France's Maxime Denuc and Congo's DeLaVallet Bidiefono.

The performance is a reflection on the artists' personal experiences with violence. 'Violence Lointaine' also utilises a space in downtown Cairo which is rarely frequented by this kind of production -- Talia Theatre in Attaba.

Later that evening on 3 April, Egyptian rap group El-Manzouma, experimental Arab-electronic project Hello Psycheleppo by Syrian artist Saem El-Dahr (also known as Zimo) will take over nightclub Sherazade's stage along with American rapper One Be Lo.

Middle East Focus will also see a performance by Lebanese sensation Yasmine Hemdan, known for her previous collaboration with Zeid Hemdan of Lebanese alternative band Soapkills at Qasr Al-Nil Theatre on 4 April. The same evening will also feature a performance by Egyptian artists Fayrouz Karawya and Ismael.

On the same day, Egyptian dancers will perform as part of the Urban Visions ‘Dance in Public Spaces’ programme in front of the Egyptian Stock Exchange. The two performances, 'Invisible Boundaries' by EE Dance Studio and 'Running Nucleus' by 100hands, have also been performed several times in Cairo and Alexandria since D-CAF kicked off earlier this month.

##

A double dance bill will also be featured on 5 and 6 April. The night starts off with the Arab world premiere of ‘An Empty House for Hospitality’, a collaboration between Laurence Rondoni, Association descent-danse, and Mohamed Shafik. The second performance is 'What is Left' choreographed by Mohamed El-Deeb which was part of Studio Emadeddin's '2 Be Continued Festival' which took place in January.

##

As for theatre, the festival's artistic director Ahmed El-Attar will be presenting two pieces. His new play, a work in progress entitled 'The Last Supper' will be by invitation only, while a re-run of a previous work 'The Importance of Being An Arab', a one-man show about the artist's own life, will take Rawabet's stage on 6 April.

El-Warsha Troupe present another double bill of two documentary theatre performances directed by Hassan El-Geretly entitled 'Zawya' and 'The Hour of Curfew' which dissect the revolution from various angles.

The Damascus Theatre lab will present the Egyptian premier of 'It Happened Tomorrow' directed by Ossama Ghanam based on two previous plays. The performance revolves around characters who find themselves in a peculiar meeting, questioning a world that is becoming increasingly harsh.

Performed in Arabic, English and French, Jean-Paul Sartre's 'No Exit' directed by Omar El-Moutaz Bellah observes three characters who are doomed to an eternity in hell. 'No Exit' was performed in 2013 at Falaki theatre and will be hosted this time by the Cairo Puppets Theatre on 6 and 7 April.

Throughout the focus week and taking place until 26 April, a retrospective exhibition highlighting two decades' body of work by Egyptian artistHassan Khanwill be hosted in the Kodak Passageway.

During the focus week there is also the chance to check out themobile film festival's screening booths in several locations in Cairo's downtown, along with several discussions under the title 'Is Art Important?'

Programme:

Thursday 3 April 


12pm Smart Mobile Film Festival, screening booths across Downtown Cairo
12pm Hassan Khan Exhibition, Kodak Passageway
3pm Is Art Important? Discussion Series: Why is Art So Important? The Greek Campus, AUC
6pm Violence Lointaine (Egypt/Switzerland/France/DR Congo), Talee’a Large Theatre, Zaki Tolaymat Hall
8pm Ahmed El Attar, The Last Supper (Egypt), Falaki Theatre
10pm El Manzouma (Egypt) / One Be Lo (USA) / Hello Psychaleppo (Syria/Lebanon), Sherazade Nightclub


Friday 4 April

10am Footnotes to Hassan Khan exhibition (related programmes), Kodak Passageway
12pm Hassan Khan Exhibition, Kodak Passageway
12pm Smart Mobile Film Festival, screening booths across Downtown Cairo
2pm EE Dance Studio, Invisible Boundaries (Egypt), in front of the Egyptian Stock Exchange (Borsa)
3pm The100Hands, Running Running Nucleus (Netherlands/Egypt), in front of the Egyptian Stock Exchange (Borsa)
3pm Discussion Series: Art and the Political, the Greek Campus, AUC - Is Art Important?
6pm Violence Lointaine (Egypt/Switzerland/France/DR Congo), Talee’a Large Theatre, Zaki Tolaymat Hall
8pm Yasmine Hamdan (Lebanon)/Fayrouz Karawya & Ismael (Egypt), Qasr Al-Nil Theatre
8pm Ahmed El Attar, The Last Supper (Egypt), Falaki Theatre

Saturday 5 April

12pm Smart Mobile Film Festival, screening booths across Downtown Cairo
12pm Hassan Khan Exhibition, Kodak Passageway
3pm Is Art Important? Discussion Series: Creating Art in Time of Adversity (Syrian Focus), the Greek Campus, AUC
6pm It Happened Tomorrow (Syria), Damascus Theater Lab, Talee’a Small Theatre: Salah Abdel Sabour Hall
8pm Dance Double Bill (Egypt/France), Falaki Theatre
9pm El Warsha Double Bill: Zawaya & The Hour of Curfew (Egypt), El Warsha

Sunday 6 April

12pm Smart Mobile Film Festival, screening booths across Downtown Cairo
12pm Hassan Khan Exhibition, Kodak Passageway
1pm Ahmed El Attar, On the Importance of Being an Arab (Egypt), Rawabet Theatre
3pm Is Art Important? Discussion Series: Contemporary Middle-Eastern Art from International Perspective, the Greek Campus, AUC
6pm It Happened Tomorrow (Syria), Damascus Theater Lab, Talee’a Small Theatre: Salah Abdel Sabour Hall
7pm Alphée des étoiles – Alphée of the Stars (Canada, 2012), French Institute, Alexandria
9pm Dance Double Bill (Egypt/France), Falaki Theatre
9pm Francophone Short Films (Third Evening), Odeon Cinema



Venues:

Cairo Atelier: 2 Karim Al-Dawla Street, Downtown, Cairo
Al-Borsa (Egyptian Stock Exchange): 4A Al-Sherifein Street, Downtown, Cairo
Falaki Theare: 24 Falaki Street, Downtown, Cairo
Kodak Building: 20 Adly Street, Downtown, Cairo
Odeon Cinema: Abdel-Hamid Street, Off Talaat Harb Street, Downtown, Cairo
Qasr Al-Nil Theare: 6 Qasr Al-Nil Street, Downtown, Cairo
Rawabet Theatre: 3 Hussein Al-Maamar Street, off Mahmoud Bassiouny Street, Downtown, Cairo
Sherazade Nightclub: Alfi Bey Street, off Oraby Square, Downtown, Cairo
Talee'a large theatre, Zaki Tolaymat Hall
Talee'a small theatre, Salah Abdelsabbour Hall
The Arayes Theatre, Cairo Puppets theatre, Attaba

https://english.ahram.org.eg/News/97803.aspx