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The Knight & the Princess: Egypt’s Very First Animated Film

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The Knight & the Princess: Egypt’s Very First Animated Film
written by
Cairo 360

Despite the worldwide reputation and sheer number of Egyptian movies, since the invention of the digital movie camera, cartoons in Egypt have not received the same attention. That’s probably because not many people have attempted to make any. When we started brainstorming previous productions, the most famous cartoon that came to mind was the Ramadan series, Bakkar. Even though it was nationally successful, let us remind you that the first episode was broadcasted approximately 20 years ago! What other memorable cartoon productions have been made since then? Well, we’re about to tell you!       

Presenting, Egypt’s first-ever animated feature film: The Knight and the Princess (Al Faris wal Amira). A movie that took 20 years to make and will bring together the distinct voices of a consortium of notable Egyptian artists. According to Egypt Independent, CBC states that actors Mohamed Henedy, Maged al-Kidwani, Abla Kamel, Medhat Saleh, and Donia Samir Ghanem will be portraying some of the characters in the film. The protagonist and the rest of the cast were sketched by artist, Moustapha Hussein, and the animation work was carried out by other Egyptian artists from the Magic Company.   

When Asharq Al-Awsat talked to director and screenwriter, Basheer Al-Deeq, he shared some intriguing information. Firstly, Al-Deeq said, “The project’s total budget hit 10 million Egyptian pounds spent over 20 years, the time required for making this movie, which was only a dream at the beginning.” Secondly, he promised the audience that The Knight & the Princess is a professional work that competes with Disney movies and doesn’t only target children, but fans of all ages. Finally, the director noted that the 2D animation technique in the movie was the same methodology used in the animated film, The Lion King. As for the story of The Knight and the Princess, it is based on the story of a young man, Mohammed bin Qasim al-Thaqafi, who falls in love while leading the sovereignty of the Umayyad State.

BroadcastPro ME states that it has been reported that several festivals, including El Gouna International Film Festival and Cairo International Film Festival, have proposed to screen the production. However, none of these screenings have been confirmed yet.

Check out the teaser trailer right here:

 

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