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(Image credit: Egypt Today)

The second Egyptian Contemporary Cinema Show, which took place from the 9^th to the 12^th of January, paid tribute to seven Egyptian films with screenings at Cine Brasília, in the capital of Brazil. The organisation behind the screenings organises fairs, shows, exhibitions, music, and dance performances in a bid to shine a light on Arab arts and culture.

Scroll down to find out more about the films that were shown.

 

Abl Zahmet El Seef (Before the Summer Crowds)

Directed by the late Mohamed Khan, the drama is set in a seaside resort in the North Coast, where a random group of people are there to enjoy the early days of the summer season. Starring Maged El Kedwany, Hana Sheha, and Ahmed Dawood, it premiered at the 12th Dubai International Film Festival in 2015.

La Ahad Honak (The Giraffe)

Actor Ahmed Magdy’s first directorial venture, this drama follows the protagonist, Ahmed, who finds himself obliged to pay for a young woman’s abortion fees. He also encounters an intriguing group that attempts to solve the mystery woven around a giraffe hidden in the Cairo Zoo. The film premiered at the 40th Cairo International Film Festival in 2018.

Balash Tbosny (Kiss Me Not)

The comedy-drama is directed by Ahmed Amer and stars Yasmeen Raess, Mohamed Mahran, and Sawsan Badr. The plotline follows a sex icon star who declines to film a kissing scene, deciding to take a more religious path. According to Egypt Today, the film was released in 2018 and screened in the Arab Film Festival in Paris, the Shanghai International Film Festival, the 14th Dubai International Film Festival, and Tripoli Film Festival.

Fatat Al Masna’ (The Factory Girl)

Another film by Mohamed Khan, this romance follows Hayam (Yasmeen Raess), a factory worker, who lives in an Egyptian lower-middle-class area. She falls in love with a new factory supervisor, but a twist of events leads to urging a pregnancy test for the girls in the factory. The film was released in 2013 and selected as Egypt’s entry in the Best Foreign Language category at the 87^th Academy Awards, but unfortunately, it did not make it to the nominations list.

Ali, Mezah W Ibrahim (Ali, the Goat, and Ibrahim)

The fantasy film is directed by Sherif Elbendary and stars Ahmed Magdy, Ali Sobhy, and Nahed El Sebai. It follows Ali, who believes the soul of his late girlfriend had been reincarnated in a goat. Accompanied by the goat, his friend Ibrahim joins his journey of self-discovery through Egypt. The film premiered at the Dubai International Film Festival in 2016, and Sobhi won Best Actor in the Muhr Feature competition. It also competed in Cannes Junior Screenings.

Al Qetat Al Sagheera (Les Petits Chats)

The documentary is directed by Sherif Nakhla and highlights the emergence of the Egyptian rock band, Les Petit Chats, that formed in 1976. It was released in 2014, and it features stories by Wagdi Francis, Ezzat Abu Ouf, and Omar Khairat, as the band members get together 30 years later to perform for one more night.

Torab El Mas (Diamond Dust)

Based on the novel by Ahmed Mourad, the thriller premiered by 2018 and is directed by Marwan Hamed and stars Asser Yassin, Menna Shalaby, Maged El Kedwany, and Eyad Nassar. The plot follows Taha, a pharmacist, who lives with his disabled father. A mysterious murder turns his life upside down and unlocks a melancholic world of crime and corruption.