Cairo, Dec 3 (IANS) Women-related issues in modern-day Egypt have been highlighted by a group of five young filmmakers through their short films.
These films were shortlisted from 10 participants at a workshop conducted by Misr International Films (MIF), a company founded by noted Late filmmaker Youssef Chahine, Egyptian news website Ahram Online reported.
One of the films “Bahiya”, by Mavie Maher, is an introspective look at the turmoil one teacher goes through after one of her students dies in a violent attack.
Mina Magdy’s “Ibn Bnoot” (Male Virgin) is a dark comedy exploring how life in Egypt would change if social roles were reversed, giving women the authority over men.
“Virtual” by Nada Riyadh follows a day in the life of an activist lawyer specialising in a number of labour cases, focusing on the lawyer’s Facebook posts.
Shady El-Hakim’s “Masreya” (Egyptian) throws light upon the lives of modern-day women in different situations against the backdrop of the lives of women in ancient Egypt, while Sondos Shabayek’s “El-Bent” (The Girl) follows an Egyptian female in a street, focusing on how she deals with the looks and comments thrown her way.
These short films have been produced under a “Women in the New Egypt” project. As part of its policy of supporting independent filmmakers, MIF launched the “Women in the New Egypt” project with the support of the British embassy in Cairo.
These films are being screened in the city’s El-Manial district, as part of this year’s selection of the Panorama of the European Film, an annual event initiated by MIF in 2004.