White Nights con Silvester Stallone

Article published courtesy Envoy Alice Kanterian

The second edition of the GFF is embodied in its interaction from morning until late at night among the participants from around the world. Among the courses organized mention the one with the director, producer and screenwriter Canadian Paul Haggis, awarded two Oscars for “Million Dollar Baby” e “Crash”. Among the notable masterclasses held by the French director Jean-Jacques Annaud (“The Name of The rose” e “7 Years in Tibet”) who also presented the new lead series with actor Patrick Dempsey which it is a true superstar.

Besides the master classes were held several round tables like the one on the role of the festival or how to improve opportunities for women working in Cinema.

In addition to the extensive program of films, you daily meetings were held between buyers, writers, publishers, directors and producers in CineGouna platform that is designed to bring mentors to the young talents of the MENA region and participating in development projects of the same CineGouna diving platform for the production or to finish those who are in post-production. “Our phone is the same!”, Says the director of intimal Festival Al Timimi. “We do not want the festival means only an extensive film program or a fascinating red carpet; we want to create a real opportunity for interaction and collaboration to encourage and support the Egyptian film industry and the Arab cinema.

The film Yomeddine, in this year's competition, It is an example of this success; In fact, the last Egyptian inaugural edition of the GFF 2017 the young director Abu Bakr Shawky participated in this project to completion memo “Yomeddine”. On this occasion, in addition to winning a cash prize attracted the attention of the Egyptian producer Hefzy for the practical implementation of post-production (color) and the soundtrack. In the second edition of the film “Yomeddine” he was awarded, After the world premiere of François Chalais the latest Cannes Film Festival, with the Star El Gouna Best Picture of the Arab general. The director has personally surprised me during the interview revealing his admiration for my fellow Romanian directors. Radu Jude, author of WELL DONE It presented a few years ago at the Berlinale in Mihaeleanu Radu and his film “Lifestyle”, allegory of the Holocaust. But the director Mungiu, whose films are striking for the simple means used, such as the combination of mise-en-scène, no soundtrack and cell phones as a means of recovery. As for the Romanian directors who influenced him, the themes of young director Abu Bakr Shawky are not tied to the Egyptian society, but are universal themes. “At the awards ceremony Naguib Sawiris said that we live in a world in which humanity has lost the welcoming feeling, a world where xenophobia is on the agenda. The film, who received the applause of the audience present at the closing ceremony of El Gouna tells the story of Beshay, a leper in search of his family that he had left when he was a young man in a leper colony, and friendship with Obama, an orphan who accompanies him in his research trip to the roots. It seems like a sentimental drama, but it is actually a comedy. Together with the two there is the ass of Harby, third character of this road movie. These three “Musketeers”, crossing the south of Egypt in a succession of landscapes and characters. After the extraordinary success at the Cannes Film Festival, it's bis in El Gouna due to the debutant director talent that has also experienced of composing poetic images giving voice to the unheard and disobedient minorities, deprived of a dignified life, but portraits of him with dignity.

“We're just beginning, but already is the biggest festival of the Arab world in the number of participants”, said the director of the inaugural edition. The second edition has exceeded the number of selected participants and films of the first edition with a total 74 film, among which 15 feature films in competition.

Intishal Al Timimi and his collaborators, Teresa Cavina, Raman Chawla, Nicole Guillemet, Mohamed Atef and Jehane Noujaim managed to present to the public in El Gouna winners of major international festivals, including films Out of Competition. We quote the winner of Cannes, Japanese masterpiece “Family business” directed by Hirokazu Kore-eda. But they are also managed in impossible tasks, such as that present the documentary “Watercolor” whose sole protagonist is water. Just only two weeks after the world premiere in Venice on Doc landed in El Gouna. In “Watercolor” Viktor Kossakowsky, emphasizes the power of water, the size of the waves is accompanied by heavy metal music, the danger is obvious. The documentary has emerged in the Documentary Competition in El Gouna, getting the El Gouna Golden Star Award.

Even the horror film “Tumbbad” Indian director A. R. Prasad Barve inaugurated in Venice “International Critics' Week”. As well as the Palestinian film MAFAK (SCREWDRIVER) Bassam Jarbawi was presented in Venice before participating in El Gouna, but also the feature film “Remember?” Valerio Mieli presented in the autonomous selection “The Days” from Venice 2018.

Another example of a virtuous transfer from Venice to El Gouna Festival is Russian film “The man who surprised everyone” in N. Merkulov e A. Chupov prodotto da Katia Filipova con Natalya Kudryashowa, actress in the lead role which was awarded Best Actress at Venice in the Horizons section, which also received a special mention of the jury chaired by Cedomir Kolar in El Gouna.

Other films presented for the first time in the MENA region in El Gouna had already been presented in August at Locarno. So the Singapore production “A land imagined” directed by Y. S. Hua, winner “Pardo d'oro” at the Locarno Film Festival, It has been awarded the coveted trophy El Gouna Golden Star. While the El Gouna Silver Award Star was awarded to another film screened at Locarno British Richard Billingham entitled “Ray & Liz“.

“Half of the films seen in El Gouna has its world premiere less than a month ago”, aggiuge Artistic Director Intishal. But also have been taken into account the current problems of migration flows with a focus to the authors of films precisely on refugees, and humanitarian impact is presented in competition and out of competition.

Between these “Of Fathers and Sons” winner of the Sundance Grand Prix and winner of two awards at the GFF: El Gouna Star and Silver Star for best Arab film documentary. Derk Talal, Syrian documentary filmmaker of Kurdish origin, who lives with his wife from 2013 in exile in Berlin, unable to enter the intimacy of a family of Islamic terrorists whose ultimate dream is to create a caliphate. The shoot made four years ago, Talal when he spent two years with the family jadista, document the fundamental structure of jihadism same. What characterizes the film is the lack of female perspective; the protagonists are just crying babies, and the voiceover of the jihadi father and mother who lost a leg after a bomb detonation. “Of Fathers and Sons” It resumes the drama of teenagers who are actually still children. These hear legends of jihadist martyrs against the forces of Assad, Instead of fairy tales and principles. The father loves them but that does not spare them from serving as a sacrifice / supreme offer. The Syrian filmmaker takes over the daily life of this family, focusing on children. So we find out what is the mind of these children grow up prematurely in such extreme conditions. The viewer becomes a witness to the discussion of these children, who do not know anything, and testifying to their dreams and their fears. The director through the lens makes a portrait, but does not comment or manipulates leaving enough space to the viewer to form his own opinion.

Asked whether held responsible of Al Qaeda have watched the documentary, the director responded that with producer are still undecided whether or not a good idea to send a copy of the film. His fear was palpable: most of the films reflects the consequences of the current conflict in the Arab region. As he stated by one of the founders of the Festival Naguib Sawiris during the opening ceremony “… we live in difficult and dangerous times, the human element is our only hope”. This element is based on the feature Tunisian film in competition DEAR SON. The film deals with the relationship between father and son. In the role of the father Mohamed Dhrif, theater actor and little-known television. Without success goes in search of her son who was enlisted by ISIS before achieving maturity. The film does not really speak of terrorism but of fatherhood and the difficulties of being a good father. The director is the Tunisian Ben Attia who returns after the success of 2016 Hedi with this new movie premiere in the MENA region. The actor protagonist, was awarded to El Gouna the award for best actor with actress Joanna Kulig in Polish COL WAR as Best Actress. Shot in black and white already awarded in Cannes for the best scenaggiatura raccontadi a love story during the Second World War.

The biggest challenge was, however, transforming a tourist spot with an obsolete film and a limited number of places in an international attraction “, He explains the director of the Festival. El Gouna has available the latest technologies available in cinemas: 3 rooms with over 700 places while almost 400 places at TU Berlin Audimax (in collaboration with universities TU Berlin) and the splendid amphitheater 900 places at the Marina Theater.