ICE CREAM IN GLYM
Genre
Running time
110 minutes
Year
1992
Language
Arabic
Country
Egypt
Director
Khairy Beshara
Bio
Producer
Hussein Al-Imam
Cast
Amr Diab, Simone , Ashraf Abdelbaky, Hussein El Emam, Ali Hassanein, Gihan Fadel
Scriptwriter
Medhat El Adl, Mohamed Mansi Qandil
After more than 25 years, this film still comes to mind when mentioning the Egyptian superstar Amr Diab. Saif (Amr Diab) is a young man working in a video rental store, aspiring with his friends for a better life. He tries to showcase his singing talent but he gets fired and ends up in jail where he meets a liberal student and songwriter (Ashraf Abdelbaky), who introduces him to an infamous old musician (Ali Hassanein). The trio form a band and take their art to the streets, singing about youth and hope. The film represents a young generation looking for identity, and is still considered the voice of youth and their hopes and aspirations. The film is restored with the support of the Red Sea Film Festival Foundation.
Other movies
TO A LAND UNKNOWN
Director: Mahdi Fleifel
Palestinian cousins Chatila and Reda have fled a Lebanese refugee camp for Athens. Their sights are set on Germany but, with no money or passports, they are stuck in an underground limbo living off scams and petty crime. For Chatila, who has discovered a ruthless streak, anything is justified – even ripping off their fellow refugees – but Reda hates what he has become, a shame he smothers with drugs, squandering the little money they have. Things look up, however, when they meet Malek: a young boy who says his aunt will send him money to bring him to Italy. Working in a style between documentary and fiction, director Mehdi Fleifel brings home the reality of desperation with poignancy and warmth.
SUPERBOYS OF MALEGAON
Director: Reema Kagti
This entertaining romp is based on the life of Nasir Shaikh, an amateur film-maker from the poor Indian town of Malegaon who was inspired by his love of silent slapstick to make a film of his own, featuring local characters and put together by a crew of friends. As the locals favoured Bollywood escapism, he adapted some of their favourites with the tales transported to Malegaon. People loved it, but their success threatened to split the group, one of whom turned out to have bigger ambitions: a few hurdles had to be jumped before everyone realised what really mattered to them. It is a poignant and at times funny take on film-making, friendship and what happens when those worlds collide.
THE LAST RONIN
Director: Maksim Shishkin
Haunted by the ghosts of the past, lone traveller Ronin wanders the post-apocalyptic wastelands in search of his father's killer. The devastation caused by climate change led to a global nuclear war, destroying civilisation as we know it: lands are scorched and cities destroyed. Electrical equipment no longer works and gasoline has long lost the properties that made it the world's greatest resource. The main currency in this new world is AK47 cartridges. Everywhere Ronin goes, he encounters blood-thirsty headhunters and rogue gangs all fighting for scraps in this dangerous new world. Then, one day, Ronin meets a wayward teenage girl who offers him a precious bounty for escorting her to her birthplace, a journey that will require all his fighting skills.
SEEKING HAVEN FOR MR. RAMBO
Director: Khaled Mansour
Hassan, his mother and his beloved dog Rambo are threatened with eviction by their landlord Karem, a car mechanic who wants to use their house to expand his workshop. Rising tensions culminate in a street fight between Karem and Hassan, settled by Rambo when he leaps in and bites Karem in the crotch. Humiliated, Karem promises bloody revenge. Thus begins Hassan’s search for a safe haven for his friend, a journey that will take him into the city’s underbelly, but also into the heart of his own fears, changing him forever. Sparked by a real incident, this is a film about the strong relationship between a man and his dog and a nuanced reflection on everyday violence.
