Monday, July 21, 2008
Monday, May 14, 2007
Omaret Yacoubian
Homosexuality, governmental corruption, adultery, Islamic extremism, prostitution, abortion and manipulation of religious rules were issues shown in the most expensive and controversial film in Egyptian cinema.
Based on the bestselling novel by Alaa Al Aswani, director Marwan Hamed's The Yacoubian Building proved that Egypt and perhaps the rest of the Arab world is ready for up-to-date taboos - ones that are multifaceted. The common issues found in Egyptian cinema have been typical, one-dimensional, cliché stories done haphazardly. Many people in the Arab world have been stuck in the pre 70’s romantic silver screen and frankly, I'm sick of it. However, outside of the Arab world, especially in America, this might be the first Egyptian movie watched by non-Arabs.
Armenian community figurehead Jacob Yacoubian erected the historical Yacoubian Building in 1937 in downtown Cairo for foreign diplomats and upper class Egyptians. As time passes and the era of the Pashas is no more, working class Cairo can be evident on the rooftop of this bourgeois building.
The characters are a mixture of non-fictional people who lived in the building. Set in modern day Cairo in the 90’s, we live some of the experiences of a few of the tenants.
Unlike typical Egyptian films, we see that every main character was a victim, yet at the same time far from being perfect. There is no hero and no villain; the characters are portrayed realistically as flawed human beings who come to realize their mistakes or regrets at some point. We see many victims of society, government, religious fundamentalism, discrimination in social class, or simply ignorance. We see the shift between the stories and the connection of each character to the other.
The most controversial character was the privileged Hatim Rashid, editor of Le Caire, a French language daily newspaper and the son of an Egyptian father and a French mother. Rashid is openly homosexual in a society that either condemns it or pretends it does not exist.
Hamed said that although various topics were tackled in the movie, ranging from religious extremism to prostitution, homosexuality raised more eyebrows than the other issues because it hasn’t been brought up in Egyptian cinema. “This would be a non-issue in San Francisco, but for Egypt and the Arab world in general, this topic is a taboo,” Hamed explained during a post-screening discussion held in UCLA. “You can’t expect change,” exclaimed Hamed when asked about what he wants the outcome in Egypt to be. “There’s no solution,” said Yousra, one of the most famous Egyptian actresses, “but we want people to think!”
Many in the audience were surprised that such movie was allowed in the Middle East. One after the other, audience members poured Hamed with questions about censorship. Hamed explained that censorship is increasingly becoming irrelevant. In an era of YouTube, there will be no place for censorship, even in conservative societies. According to the director, the only place where the film was heavily censored was Kuwait, where Rashid’s character was completely removed.
One audience member, Saudi filmmaker Fahmi Farahat, expressed his satisfaction with the film “I commend Marwan Hamed for this excellent film, which is probably the first Egyptian film comparable to what we see in Hollywood.” In addition, the film was “very tasteful, he sent his messages across without using nudity or vulgarity, which adds to his credibility,” Farahat continued.
Among the attendees who enjoyed the film was Palestinian filmmaker and Golden Globe winner Hani Abu As’ad of Paradise Now. Abu As’ad praised the film and thanked Hamed and actress Yousra for their hard work.
Finally, The Yacoubian Building has proven that the denial of taboo societal problems will hopefully not be prolonged.
Here's a photo of me with Yusra yesterday:
Based on the bestselling novel by Alaa Al Aswani, director Marwan Hamed's The Yacoubian Building proved that Egypt and perhaps the rest of the Arab world is ready for up-to-date taboos - ones that are multifaceted. The common issues found in Egyptian cinema have been typical, one-dimensional, cliché stories done haphazardly. Many people in the Arab world have been stuck in the pre 70’s romantic silver screen and frankly, I'm sick of it. However, outside of the Arab world, especially in America, this might be the first Egyptian movie watched by non-Arabs.
Armenian community figurehead Jacob Yacoubian erected the historical Yacoubian Building in 1937 in downtown Cairo for foreign diplomats and upper class Egyptians. As time passes and the era of the Pashas is no more, working class Cairo can be evident on the rooftop of this bourgeois building.
The characters are a mixture of non-fictional people who lived in the building. Set in modern day Cairo in the 90’s, we live some of the experiences of a few of the tenants.
Unlike typical Egyptian films, we see that every main character was a victim, yet at the same time far from being perfect. There is no hero and no villain; the characters are portrayed realistically as flawed human beings who come to realize their mistakes or regrets at some point. We see many victims of society, government, religious fundamentalism, discrimination in social class, or simply ignorance. We see the shift between the stories and the connection of each character to the other.
The most controversial character was the privileged Hatim Rashid, editor of Le Caire, a French language daily newspaper and the son of an Egyptian father and a French mother. Rashid is openly homosexual in a society that either condemns it or pretends it does not exist.
Hamed said that although various topics were tackled in the movie, ranging from religious extremism to prostitution, homosexuality raised more eyebrows than the other issues because it hasn’t been brought up in Egyptian cinema. “This would be a non-issue in San Francisco, but for Egypt and the Arab world in general, this topic is a taboo,” Hamed explained during a post-screening discussion held in UCLA. “You can’t expect change,” exclaimed Hamed when asked about what he wants the outcome in Egypt to be. “There’s no solution,” said Yousra, one of the most famous Egyptian actresses, “but we want people to think!”
Many in the audience were surprised that such movie was allowed in the Middle East. One after the other, audience members poured Hamed with questions about censorship. Hamed explained that censorship is increasingly becoming irrelevant. In an era of YouTube, there will be no place for censorship, even in conservative societies. According to the director, the only place where the film was heavily censored was Kuwait, where Rashid’s character was completely removed.
One audience member, Saudi filmmaker Fahmi Farahat, expressed his satisfaction with the film “I commend Marwan Hamed for this excellent film, which is probably the first Egyptian film comparable to what we see in Hollywood.” In addition, the film was “very tasteful, he sent his messages across without using nudity or vulgarity, which adds to his credibility,” Farahat continued.
Among the attendees who enjoyed the film was Palestinian filmmaker and Golden Globe winner Hani Abu As’ad of Paradise Now. Abu As’ad praised the film and thanked Hamed and actress Yousra for their hard work.
Finally, The Yacoubian Building has proven that the denial of taboo societal problems will hopefully not be prolonged.
Here's a photo of me with Yusra yesterday:
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