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Exclusive: Tunisian-Egyptian actress Hend Sabry, star of Oscar-nominated hybrid doc Four Daughters and Netflix hit show Finding Ola, has signed with Cairo-based talent management and promotional agency Mad Celebrity.

The company will manage and promote the star across the Middle East and North Africa, while CAA, which signed Sabry in 2023, continues to represent her internationally as her talent agent.

Sabry first became a household name across the Arab world with the 2010 Egyptian TV classic Ayza Atgawez, in the role of a young pharmacist desperate to get married before she turns 30. She has since rebooted the character for Netflix in the hit show Finding Ola.

The star joins a growing list of internationally recognized talents from the Arab world on the Mad Celebrity books, including megastar Yousra, the Emmy-nominated Menna Shalaby (Nawara), British Lebanese actress Razane Jammal (The Sandman) and the trail-blazing Saudi artist Fatima Al Banawi (Basma).

Sabry, who has...

The El Gouna Film Festival (Gff) will honor Egyptian director Marwan Hamed with a life Career Achievement Award at its upcoming sixth edition, running from October 6 to 12.

It marks the first element of the program to be announced as the Egyptian Red Sea festival returns this year following a one year hiatus in 2022.

Hamed studied film at the Higher Institute of Cinema in Cairo. His first short Li Li, adapted from a short story by Yusuf Idris, played at numerous festivals, winning the Audience Award at the Clermont-Ferrand International Short Film Festival and the Golden Award at the Carthage Film Festival.

He broke out with his 2006 first feature The Yacoubian Building, adapted from Alaa Al-Aswany’s best-selling novel, which captures Egyptian society in the 1990s and the consequences of its extremes of wealth and poverty.

Featuring an ensemble cast, including Egyptian icons Adel Imam, Nour El-Sherif and Yousra alongside then...

The El Gouna Film Festival (Gff) taking place in El Gouna, Egypt September 20 to 28 announced its film selection.

During their press conference attended by Gff founder Naguib Sawiris and El Gouna founder Samih Sawiris, Minister of Tourism Dr. Rania Al-Mashat under whose auspices the festival is held, a number of Gff’s International Advisory Board members, in addition to members of its international jury, and some of the directors, actors and producers of the participating films, Naguib Sawiris explaine the founding of this new festival which might possibly take up the slack caused by the cessation of the Dubai Film Festival:

We believe in the role art plays in the development of society and in challenging regressive ideas… that is why we established Gff.

This year, 15 films are participating in the Feature Narrative Competition, 12 films in the Feature Documentary Competition, 23 films in the Short Film Competition, as well as 5 films...

The 11th edition of Dubai International Film Festival (Diff) combines a host of award season contenders with a fresh crop of Arab fare.

Oscar-tipped Stephen Hawking biopic The Theory Of Everything will open the 11th edition of the Dubai International Film Festival tonight (December 9).

The gala screening follows hot on the heels of the film’s UK premiere in London on Tuesday, amid rave reviews and predictions that actor Eddie Redmayne, who plays the physicist, is on route for an academy award.

The Theory Of Everything is among a slew of award season contenders playing at Diff this year, including St. Vincent and Birdman as well as foreign-language submissions Dukhtar (Pakistan), Mommy (Canada) and Wild Tales (Argentina).

Other international titles include Bennett Miller’s Foxcatcher, Morten Tyldum’s The Imitation Game, Jean-Marc Vallée’s Wild and Andrea Di Stefano’s Escobar: Paradise Lost. Rob Marshall’s musical fantasy film Into The Woods is the closing film.

“A...

Asha Bhosle

Legendary Indian playback singer Asha Bhosle will receive Dubai International Film Festival (Diff) Lifetime Achievement Award in 2014.

Bhosle has recorded more than 12,000 songs for more than 850 films in 81 years. Known for her versatility, she has been conferred the Dadasaheb Phalke award in 2000 and the Padma Vibhushan from the Indian government in 2008.

Diff Chairman Abdulhamid Juma said: “Asha Bhosle is a stalwart of the Indian music scene, and we are proud to be honouring her with this Diff Lifetime Achievement Award. Her work has touched almost every corner of the world: we look forward to welcoming such a legend to Dubai and Diff.”

Earlier recipients of Diff Lifetime Achievement award include Martin Sheen, Omar Sharif, Faten Hamamah, Adel Imam, Jameel Rateb, Sabah, Morgan Freeman, Sean Penn, Amitabh Bachchan, Shah Rukh Khan, Daoud Abdel Sayed, Youssef Chahine, Rachid Bouchareb, Souleymane Cisse, Nabil El-Maleh, Oliver Stone, Danny Glover, Terry Gilliam, Yash Chopra,...

Titles include the world premiere of thriller I’m Dead and the new feature from Egyptian director Daoud Abdel Sayed.

The Dubai International Film Festival (Dec 10-17) has unveiled the competition line-up for the Muhr Feature Awards.

The awards, first launched in 2006, aims to recognise artistic excellence from within the Arab world.

Titles include:

Dolphins, Waleed Al ShehhiI’m Dead, Yacine Mohamed BenelhadjI am Nujoom, Aged 10 and Divorced, Khadija Al-SalamiThe Sea is Behind, Hicham LasriIn This Land Lay Graves of Mine, Reine MitriA Letter to the King, Hisham ZamanThe Narrow Frame of Midnight, Tala HadidThe Council,Yahya AlabdallahOut of the Ordinary, Daoud Abdel Sayed

Dolphins is directed by Waleed Al Shehhi, who secured funding from Diff’s post-production fund Enjaaz in cooperation with Watani and Filmi before going on to win the Iwc Filmmaker Award during the 2013 edition of the Festival.

In its world premiere, Dolphins follows the intertwined stories of three people within a 24 hour period...

Egyptian production company to produce first film to team director Amr Salama and Ahmed Helmy.

Egyptian production company New Century Production will produce Cotton And Mice – the first project to team director Amr Salama and the Arab world’s biggest star Ahmed Helmy.

The film is a comedy but the filmmakers and star are keeping the story under wraps, which is customary with Helmy’s projects. Scripted by Mostafa Helmy, the film also stars Yasmine Rais and Dalal Abd El Aziz.

Currently in production, the film will be given the widest day-and-date release ever across the region at the end of July when it goes out on 100 screens.

Salama’s credits include a segment of documentary Tahrir 2011: The Good, The Bad, And The Politician and recent hit Excuse My French, about a Christian kid who is forced to conceal his religious identity at an Islamic public school.

“The Egyptian film industry has staged a robust...

Exclusive: Cairo-based New Century Production is putting together an ambitious six-picture slate featuring some of Egypt’s leading veteran and independent filmmakers, including the next project from Rags And Tatters director Ahmad Abdalla.

Entitled Décor, the project is scripted by renowned Egyptian screenwriter Mohamed Diab, who previously wrote and directed award-winning sexual harassment drama 678. Khaled Abol Naga (Microphone, Villa 69) and Egyptian actress Horreya Farghaly will head the cast.

Scheduled to start shooting in the next few weeks, Décor marks the first big-budget production from Abdalla who has won acclaim for independent productions such as Heliopolis, Microphone and current Egyptian box office hit Rags And Tatters.

Abdalla plans to shoot Decor in black-and-white – the first time the format has been used in Egyptian cinema since Mohamed Fadel’s Nasser 56, about the late Egyptian president Gamal Abdel Nasser, in 1996.

New Century will also produce Abnormal Decisions – written and to be directed by veteran Egyptian filmmaker Daoud Abdel Sayed, whose...

Making history and causing controversy, Egyptian Director Hany Fawzy will present his film Family Secrets, a film that deals with homosexuality, at the 10th Dubai International Film Festival.Mad Solutions company is in charge of the film's marketing and distribution campaigns on both regional and international levels.

Family Secrets is Hany Fawzy's feature directorial debut, who is best known for scripting several cinema hits including Osama Fawzy's Baheb El Cima (I Love Cinema),and Ard El Ahlam (Land of Dreams) by Daoud Abdel Sayed.

The new feature is still experiencing censorship restrictions in Egypt as the head of censorship has ordered the cut of no less than 13 scenes, which was rejected by both the director and Al Amal Film Production, which has produced the film.

Dubai Film Market (Dfm) is the business center of the Dubai International Film Festival (Diff). Located in the heart of the festival headquarters, the market is the destination to discover the best in Arab cinema and has established a number of pioneering initiatives to showcase and support Arab film-makers.

Hany Fawzy's Family Secerts is written by Mohamed Abdel Qader, andis the first production by Ihab Khalil's Al Amal FilmProduction.

Based on a true story, the film revolves around a young gay man and the struggles he faces with his family and community over the issue of his sexuality.

Family Secrets stars the new talent Mohamed Mahran, prolific actress Salwa Mohamed Ali,Tarek Soliman, Passant Shawki,Emad Al Raheb, and Ahmed Abd El Wahab.

Cairo and Abu Dhabi-based Mad Solutions has picked up worldwide rights to Hany Fawzy’s Family Secrets, described as Egypt’s first gay-themed film.

The Egyptian censor board recently requested 13 scenes to be cut from the film, an order that was rejected by the film’s director and production company, Al Amal Film Production.

Based on a true story, the film revolves around a young gay man and the struggles he faces with his family and community over the issue of his sexuality.

It marks the feature directorial debut of Fawzy who is best known for scripting several box office hits including Osama Fawzy’s I Love Cinema (Baheb El Cima) and Daoud Abdel Sayed’s Land Of Dreams (Ard El Ahlam).

Scripted by Mohamed Abdel Qader, Family Secrets is the first production by Ihab Khalil’s Al Amal Film Production. The cast includes newcomer Mohamed Mahran, prolific actress Salwa Mohamed Ali, Tarek Soliman...

Cairo and Abu Dhabi-based Mad Solutions has picked up worldwide rights to Hany Fawzy’s Family Secrets, described as Egypt’s first gay-themed film.

The Egyptian censor board recently requested 13 scenes to be cut from the film, an order that was rejected by the film’s director and production company, Al Amal Film Production.

Based on a true story, the film revolves around a young gay man and the struggles he faces with his family and community over the issue of his sexuality.

It marks the feature directorial debut of Fawzy who is best known for scripting several box office hits including Osama Fawzy’s I Love Cinema (Baheb El Cima) and Daoud Abdel Sayed’s Land Of Dreams (Ard El Ahlam).

Scripted by Mohamed Abdel Qader, Family Secrets is the first production by Ihab Khalil’s Al Amal Film Production. The cast includes newcomer Mohamed Mahran, prolific actress Salwa Mohamed Ali, Tarek Soliman...

While I do not think that something as edgy or unusual as Giorgos Lanthimos' Dogtooth (pictured above) will make the 'final five' short list, but kudos to Greece for throwing it out there.  Perhaps something like Tetsuya Nakashima's Confessions will make the cut despite its similarly unsettling subject matter.  Either way, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences did put out a big release yesterday with all of their Foreign Language film submissions, 65 of them in total even Greenland, from various countries.  Many of these films have reviews in our archives.

Albania, East West East, Gjergj Xhuvani

Algeria, Hors la Loi ("Outside the Law"), Rachid Bouchareb

Argentina, Carancho, Pablo Trapero

Austria, La Pivellina, Tizza Covi and Rainer Frimmel

Azerbaijan, The Precinct, Ilgar Safat

Bangladesh, Third Person Singular Number, Mostofa Sarwar Farooki

Belgium, Illegal, Olivier Masset-Depasse

Bosnia and Herzegovina, Circus Columbia, Danis Tanovic

Brazil, Lula the Son of Brazil,...

65 Countries Enter Race for 2010 Foreign Language Film Oscar®

Beverly Hills, CA: Sixty-five countries, including first-time entrants Ethiopia and Greenland, have submitted films for consideration in the Foreign Language Film category for the 83rd Academy Awards®.

The 2010 submissions are:

.Albania, .East, West, East,. Gjergj Xhuvani, director;

.Algeria, .Hors la Loi. (.Outside the Law.), Rachid Bouchareb, director;

.Argentina, .Carancho,. Pablo Trapero, director;

.Austria, .La Pivellina,. Tizza Covi and Rainer Frimmel, directors;

.Azerbaijan, .The Precinct,. Ilgar Safat, director;

.Bangladesh, .Third Person Singular Number,. Mostofa Sarwar Farooki, director;

.Belgium, .Illegal,. Olivier Masset-Depasse, director;

.Bosnia and Herzegovina, .Circus Columbia,. Danis Tanovic, director;

.Brazil, .Lula, the Son of Brazil,. Fabio Barreto, director;

.Bulgaria, .Eastern Plays,. Kamen Kalev, director;

.Canada, .Incendies,. Denis Villeneuve, director;

.Chile, .The Life of Fish,. Matias Bize, director;

.China, .Aftershock,. Feng Xiaogang, director;

.Colombia, .Crab Trap,. Oscar Ruiz Navia, director;

.Costa Rica, .Of Love and Other Demons,. Hilda Hidalgo, director;

.Croatia, .The Blacks,...

I have been keeping track of all of the Foreign Language Oscar submissions in my "The Contenders" section of the site and today the official list of sixty-five films from sixty-five countries was unveiled by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences for consideration for the 83rd Academy Awards. On January 20, 2011 a shortlist of nine contenders will be announced prior to the naming of the nominees on January 25, 2011.

I have included the complete list directly below, which includes first-time entrants Ethiopia and Greenland. The only film that was originally thought to be under consideration, but didn't show up on the Academy's final list was Afghanistan's entry, Black Tulip, directed by Sonia Nassery Cole. IMDb doesn't list a release date for the film, which means it may not have met the release requirements in time.

I have linked each film to their corresponding IMDb page for those films not included...

I'm not sure what the cutoff date is for from the individual countries for the Foreign Language Film nominations, but Sony Pictures Classics are glad to see Canada select Denis Villeneuve's Incendies. The company now has three horses in the race and once again, places the distributor in a pretty good position to grab the most of the spots in the final five nominations. Their solid trio so far includes: the Villeneuve film that played at Venice, Telluride and Tiff with Cannes items Xavier Beauvois' Of Gods and Men and Olivier Schmitz's Life, Above All. Having seen all three mentioned titles, I can say that this will please Academy voters. Cross your fingers for Dogtooth folks. Algeria: Outside the Law, Rachid Bouchareb Austria: La Pivellina, Tizza Covi and Rainer Frimmel Azerbaijan: The Precinct, Ilgar Safat Belgium: Illègal, Olivier Masset-Depasse Bosnia and Herzegovina: Circus Columbia, Danis Tanovic Bulgaria: Eastern Plays,...