Egyptian film festival in capital from tomorrow

New Delhi, Oct 23 (UNI) The Directorate of Film Festivals and the Embassy of the Arab Republic of Egypt are organising a three-day Egyptian Film Festival here from tomorrow.

The festival will open with 'Sleepless Nights' directed by Hani Khalifa. The other four films to be screened during the festival are: 'Girls Secrets' (directed by Magdi Ahmed Ali), 'Egyptian Tale' (directed by Monir Rady), 'Women Love' (directed by Khalid El Haggar) and 'Free Times' (directed by Mohamed Mostafa).

Egypt has a strong cinematic tradition since the 1930s, having the only major motion picture industry in the Arab world with Cairo as its capital. Egyptian cinema has a profound influence on the Arabs.

The golden age of Egyptian cinema was in the 1940s and 1950s.

During that period, Omar Sherif emerged as a major international star and his former wife Fatin Hamama, reigned as the queen of Arab cinema.

Directors such as Youssef Chahine have gained wide international respect and many of Egypt's leading literary lights, including Tawfiq Al Hakim and Naguib Mahfouz, have written for cinema.

Today, the reigning superstar of Egyptian cinema is comedian Adel Imam, whose political satire has earned him the respect of serious filmgoers and occasionally, the resentment of the government.

On the opening day, the screening will begin at 1630 hrs whereas the screening on the next two days will be at 1700 hrs and 2000 hrs.

UNI