HOW BARACK OBAMA CHANGED AMERICA
Mohamed Diab and Amr Salama at The 15th Annual Webby Awards
In 1896, several exclusive venues in Alexandria and Cairo hosted some of the earliest known screenings of the world ' s first movies, directed by the Lumiere Brothers. Egypt went on to establish a dominant position as the capital of the Arab film world. The " Hollywood on the Nile " enjoyed a sustained Golden Age in the mid-20th century, powered by the mighty Studio Misr and international stars such as Omar Sharif and Faten Hamama. But the glory days could not last, and the industry suffered a devastating blow with the 2011 revolution.
Curfews were imposed that severely reduced cinema audiences, and production slowed to a crawl. The aftershocks continued with the overthrow of President Mohamed Morsi in 2013, and subsequent violence across the country. But after years of instability, there are signs that the Egyptian movie powerhouse is coming back to life.
Green shoots?
Earlier this year, romantic comedy " Hepta " demonstrated that audiences are returning to cinemas, breaking the box office record for the genre with takings in excess of $ 3 million.
Egyptian films are also earning international critical acclaim. Mohamed Diab ' s " Eshtebak "( Clash), set entirely in a police van during the revolution, earned strong reviews at the Cannes Film Festival and is being tipped for an Oscar nomination. Filmmaker Amr Salama, who won several international awards for his groundbreaking portrayal of an AIDS patient in " Asmaa ", believes the industry is flourishing.
2016 | Business Times Africa 67