The debate of the film “Feathers”, directed by Omar Al-Zuhairi, escalated after its premiere at Gouna Film Festival, within the feature film competition, where the difference in opinion did not stop at the quality and visual offered by the director, but it turned into a division and a political conflict the reality of the film’s concept. Specially in time that the Egyptian government’s efforts made to change the lives of the marginalized.
The film that won the Grand Prize in the Critics’ Week competition at Cannes Film Festival, and was honored by the Egyptian Minister of Culture, Dr. Enas Abdel-Dayem,. Its debate began in Gouna with number of actors whose left the screening of the film suddenly, some of them just because they did not like the experience artistically, and others, like actor Sherif Mounir for a political stance on the film in general, as the accusation was direct that it harmed Egypt’s reputation, which created a state of controversy, with which various media outlets interacted, and social networking sites exploited it, until Trend Twitter issued a hashtag entitled “Stop Gouna Festival”, as well as The name of the movie also topped Google search results.
GFF react
For its part, Gouna Film Festival issued a statement, to clarify its situation on the “feathers” movie debate, and confirming that the selection of the movie “feathers” by Egyptian director Omar Al-Zuhairi was consistent with the criteria for selecting films at the festival, based on the successes achieved in some international forums.
Also the statement confirmed that the work team at the festival selects films based on their artistic and cinematic quality only according to the criteria of film festivals.
The festival added that the selection of “feathers” for screening at GFF is part of the interest in the Egyptian issue, in the artistic and cultural fields globally, especially since Egyptian cinema, for 125 years, has not received an Egyptian film of any importance, the grand prize of the International Critics’ Week in the largest festivals.
It was also the first Egyptian film to receive such a prestigious award. Yesterday, it won the Grand Prix of the Pingyao Festival in China.
It was also selected to be shown at Carthage Film Festival in its next session, and the Egyptian Ministry of Culture honored the film. And his team at an event held before the start of Gouna Film Festival.
In its statement, the festival said that according to the opinions of many Egyptian and international critics, the film takes place in an unspecified time and place, and therefore the film cannot be carried more than what it came with. Also does not hold any offense or grudge in any of his various shows, whether inside or outside the official competition.
Gouna Festival confirms that it is proud that it is an Egyptian festival held on the land of Egypt, which has the utmost respect and appreciation in everything that belongs to the festival, noting that over the past four years, it presented many activities in the field of promoting cinematic art and revitalizing Egyptian tourism, and its fourth session was held in the conditions of A difficult international competition to emphasize Egypt’s situation and the festival’s keenness to highlight Egypt’s and Egyptians’ ability to present festivals at a global level.
The festival is also held in cooperation with the Red Sea Governorate and sponsored by the Ministry of Culture, Ministry of Health and Ministry of the Interior, which confirms the festival’s belonging to and loyalty to Egypt.
Mounir attack !
In television statements, actor Sherif Mounir, who adopts the opposing view of the film, said that he is against banning the film commercially, but his zeal for Egypt what moved him, noting that Egyptians are living a new republic, and initiatives for a decent life, solidarity and dignity, with which the state fights poverty. Therefore, the image that was appearing in a movie like “Hein Maysara” of Khaled Youssef, must keep the eye away from her.
Mounir explained that he withdrew from “feathers” screening because it emits a negative image of Egypt, pointing out that the family that appeared in the film lives in abnormal torment, harmful form and terrible filth, worse than the life that was in the slums before the state intervened, to eliminate This causes the viewer to feel “suffocated and tired.”
Mounir added that the film’s award at Cannes Festival does not mean that the film is not true, that he personally does not know what the jury liked in the film to award him the award.
Sherif Mounir, on his Facebook page, was keen to clarify that he did not leave Gouna Festival because of his reservations about the movie “feathers”, but because this date was previously agreed upon with the festival administration.
Defending the director
For his part, the producer of the film, Mohamed Hefzy, refused to mixing the review of the film with any political dimension, stressing that director Omar Al-Zuhairi addressed a humanitarian issue, for a woman suffering from oppression, and therefore it is not natural for his reward to be sitting in his room anxious and depressed as if he committed a crime, instead of honoring him for the achievement he got. , Not only at Cannes Festival, so as not to be called a politicized prize from the West, in parallel with this fabricated crisis, he received a major prize from a festival in China.
Hefzy added that he does not expect the film to face any problems when it is commercially released next December, noting that it was not manufactured outside the state system, and it obtained the necessary approvals, as it was approved by “censorship” before participating in festivals, as well as being honored by the state represented in Minister of Culture.
The director of the film, Omar Al-Zuhairi, said during the film’s press conference “I learned of the criticisms of some of the audience about the film, but I present the cinema in which I am convinced and present my ideas, and it is natural that there is a difference of opinion about the film, and when I arrived at Cannes festival, I did not know what would happen next”.
Omar said that cinema and art have a role to ask questions and leave the answer to the audience, this is what creates the differences, so the open ending was intended, as I imagined every scene with work before I started filming it.
The film, which he co-written with director and scriptwriter Ahmed Amer, presents the story of a mother who lives in the confines of her husband and her children, a life that does not change and days that are repeated between the walls of the house that she does not leave and does not know what is going on outside. One day, the sudden change occurs.
Published October 19, 2021.
