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Other movies

SHAFIKA AND METWALI
Director: Ali Badrakhan
Chosen by festival Honoree guest Mona Zaki, who is fascinated by the iconic Egyptian actress Souad Hosni. Drawing on a folk tale about a young man who murders his wayward sister, Ali Badrakhan gave the traditional story a new timeframe and socio-political twist, creating a work of art in the process. Metwally is a villager forced by the authorities to work as a labourer on the Suez Canal project, leaving his sister Shafiqi (Souad Hosni) alone and destitute. When he eventually returns, he discovers that his sister has succumbed to the attentions of the district chief’s son, dishonoring the family, and kills her. The original story saw him as justified, but Badrakhan gives it another twist to show both brother and sister as victims of an oppressive social system. The film was an immediate success; it remains a beloved classic.

K-POPS
Director: Anderson .Paak
Eight-time Grammy winner Anderson .Paak makes his film debut with the story of a washed-up drummer whose life turns around when he meets his teenage son for the first time. Paak himself plays the father BJ, who is still holding out in middle age for rock’n’roll stardom; his real-life son Soul Rasheed plays the fictional Tae Young, whose mother Yeji is Korean. When BJ gets an unexpected gig on a Korean talent show, he discovers Tae Young, a hotly-tipped contestant. Eager to make up for lost parenting time, BJ becomes the boy’s mentor – but the truth is that he needs help to grow up himself. Riffing off their real family relationships, .Paak’s comedy is an instant winner full of charm and K-Pop fandom.

THE LEGEND OF THE VAGABOND QUEEN OF LAGOS
Director: James Tayler
The Agbajowo Collective bring a lively mix of legend and community struggle to a fable grounded in Nigeria’s real-life mass evictions. In 2017, the state government and corrupt police colluded to burn out and bulldoze the waterside shanty town of Otodo-Gbame, leaving thousands homeless. Those who resisted were beaten, jailed or worse. In the fictionalised version - called Agbojedo - young mother Jawu, living in the floating slums on the lagoon that gives Lagos its name, is compelled by the spirit of the great warrior king Egbaezen to stand firm against these forced evictions, unifying her poor but loyal community behind her in an epic multi-genre adventure containing a stash of extorted money and a magical African Grey parrot.

SNOW WHITE
Director: Taghrid Abouelhassan
Both Iman and her younger sister dream of finding true love, within the strict parameters of life. For Iman, there is an obvious obstacle: she is a Little Person, only 119 centimeters tall, which puts her out of the running for an arranged marriage. Instead she goes online, hiding her size and compensating with her big laugh and big personality. Her sister has an offer of marriage, but Khaled’s family has second thoughts when they meet Iman. To put things off, the man’s mother insists on a top-of-the-range refrigerator as a dowry. A light-hearted but fascinating mix of issues around marriage, disability and sisterhood, with a magnetic star performance by Mariam Sherif at its very big heart.