Red Sea International Film Festival and Art Jameel announce an archival exhibition presenting Gamal Fahmy\u2019s legacy and a Youssef Chahine film retrospective. The programme invites audiences to discover unique images of the great photographer Gamal Fahmy and rediscover some of the iconic and unmissable titles that came to define the history of Arab cinema. <\/p>\n
Coinciding with Hayy Jameel\u2019s one year anniversary, Hayy Cinema, a permanent space developed by Art Jameel, opens to the public from December 6, 2022, during the Red Sea International Film Festival. Hayy Cinema is defined by its unique approach of curated and research-oriented filmic content that intends to nurture audiences with an ethos of curiosity and inclusivity, while furthering research into the history of independent film in the region. <\/p>\n
One of the Kingdom\u2019s first centers for independent cinema, Hayy Cinema expands the role of what a cinema can be, serving as a meeting point to watch, learn, exchange, discover and research the vast world of cinema and filmmaking. It includes a 168-seat theatre, a 30-seat community screening room, a multimedia library, and an educational space. Intended as a year-round home for the Saudi film community and local cine-enthusiasts, the cinema is designed by Jeddah-based architectural practice Bricklab, whose design won an international architectural competition run by Art Jameel. <\/p>\n
Mohammed Al Turki, CEO of the Red Sea International Film Festival, said: \u201cThe opening of Hayy Cinema will bring together communities to engage with film, share ideas, and collaborate on new and exciting projects. The Red Sea International Film Festival is delighted to be working with Hayy Cinema, it provides the perfect opportunity to widen our reach and build our audiences so more people can enjoy all the festival has to offer.” <\/p>\n
Fady Jameel, Founder and Chairman of Art Jameel, commented, \u201cWe are delighted to welcome the community to Hayy Cinema — designed as a year-round ‘home from home’ for Saudi filmmakers and cinephiles and enthusiasts of all ages. It\u2019s truly a great pleasure for Art Jameel to collaborate with Red Sea International Film Festival on the opening programme and to work so closely together on restoring, preserving and showcasing the archives of Arab cinema\u2019s most defining figures. Art Jameel is dedicated to supporting and complementing the work of our colleagues-in-culture across both the government and private sectors, and the opening of Hayy Cinema is a milestone for us all. We look forward to the breadth and depth of opportunities such collaborations bring about for the community.\u201d <\/p>\n
The exhibition of Gamal Fahmy\u2019s work, titled \u2018As Seen\u2019 and co-curated by Jeddah-based writer and director Yaser Hammad and Hayy Cinema Senior Manager Zohra Ait El Jamar, is a celebration of Egyptian cinema and culture. Fahmy collaborated with major Egyptian filmmakers, notably Youssef Chahine, Hussein Kamal, Aly Badrakhan, Ali Reda and Said Marzouk. His work was not limited to creating stills of films during shoots, but also behind the scenes photography, photography sessions of filmmakers and actors. His work is an example of great artistic photography, with striking compositions and excellent use of light and shadows. The exhibition runs from December 6, 2022, to March 25, 2023 and is largely drawn from the Red Sea International Film Foundation Archives Collection. <\/p>\n
The Youssef Chahine film retrospective includes a selection of the filmmaker\u2019s greatest works. Gamal Fahmy took behind the scenes photographs of five of Chahine masterpieces. <\/p>\n
Chahine was a pioneer in the film d\u2019auteur genre, his films enticed a whole generation to engage in honest and courageous storytelling. Class conflict and labor strife featured prominently in Chahine\u2019s early works. The lineup includes \u201cAlexandria, Why?\u201d, which marked a radical, newly introspective turn in Chahine\u2019s filmmaking career. \u201cAlexandria, Why?\u201d is the first in a semi-autobiographical tetralogy, titled \u201cPortrait of the Artist as a Young Man\u201d, which focuses on a precocious adolescent whose dreams and colorful attempts to become an actor unfold against the vivid backdrop of Alexandria during World War II. The autobiographical nature and nostalgic flavor of Alexandria, Why? make it one of Chahine\u2019s most accessible works, a charming and entertaining film. <\/p>\n
\u201cAlexandria Again and Forever\u201d is the third instalment in Chahine\u2019s quartet of autobiographical films, in which the director\u2019s work is stalled by a strike. During the interruption in filming, the relationship between director and performer is depicted symbolically, in a tender dance number clearly in homage to the Hollywood musical. <\/p>\n
\u201cAdieu Bonaparte\u201d is one of Chahine\u2019s ventures into the historical genre. Set in 1798, when Napoleon lands his army in Egypt, defeats the Mamluks and reaches Cairo, the story revolves around three brothers \u2013 Egyptian patriots who reject the prospect of French domination. Bakr, the eldest, is a hothead, quick to advocate armed rebellion; Ali is more philosophical and poetic while Yehia is young and impressionable. Determined to make Frenchmen out of the brothers, one of Napoleon\u2019s generals, the one-legged intellectual Caffarelli, decides to open a bakery where their father works. <\/p>\n
Based on the novel by Andr\u00e9e Chedid, \u201cThe Sixth Day\u201d explores a period in British-colonialized Egypt during the mid-twentieth century. In a poor Cairo neighborhood, Sadika is taking care of her bedridden husband, and later, her cholera-infected grandson. She shares a subtle relationship with the young Okka, who makes his living performing song and dance numbers with a monkey. Okka\u2019s joyful and life-affirming spirit is a welcome challenge to the atmosphere of death that overwhelms the impoverished neighborhood; it is also the vehicle through which Sadika finds resiliency, love, and social connection despite the isolation she suffers as her grandson\u2019s caregiver. This film has gathered Chahine with the legendary Dalida in one of her best performances ever. <\/p>\n
Also adapted from a novel, \u201cReturn of the Prodigal Son\u201d depicts a family going through a fatal crisis. Ali Madbouli, a former social activist who went on to marry the daughter of a wealthy contractor with lucrative government construction deals, returns home to his family after ten years in prison. Ali had been imprisoned for his involvement in a cost-cutting scheme having resulted in the collapse of a contracted building. But the man who returns is no longer the well-loved Ali they remember. Through this film the Red Sea Film Festival & Hayy Jameel are paying tribute to the late Hesham Selim.
\nYoussef Chahine\u2019s films will be screened on various dates throughout December, with the opening film screening on December 6 at 8pm. The Red Sea International Film Festival runs from 1st to 10th December 2022. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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