Not to be missed: From Alexandria, Aswan film festivals to Samih Sawiris on piano, Jazz Day, El-Masreyeen
Ahram Online highlights a selection of do-not-miss events this week from 30 April to 7 May in Cairo, Alexandria, and Aswan.
Alexandria Short Film Festival's 11th edition (ASFF)
27 April - 2 May
Across several venues in Alexandria
The ASFF, organized by the Arts' Circle (Dayret Al-Fann) Association, offers film screenings, panels, workshops, and masterclasses, among others.
The films compete in several categories: fiction films, documentary films, animation films, Arab films, and Egyptian student films.
Follow the festival's page for more details about its programme.
New films across cinemas
Thursday, 1 May, brings several new films to movie theatres across Egypt:
- Thunderbolts, starring Florence Pugh, Sebastian Stan, and David Harbour;
- Popeye The Slayer Man, starring Jason Robert Stephens, Sarah Nicklin, and Angela Relucio;
- Sneaks, starring Martin Lawrence, Keith David, and Lawrence Fishburne;
- Daniela Forever, starring Henry Golding and Beatrice Grannò.
Mazaher ensemble (Zar) - music
Wednesday, 30 April, 8pm
Egyptian Centre for Culture & Arts - Makan, 1 Saad Zaghloul Str., Cairo
Mazaher is an ensemble where women play a leading role. Its music is inspired by the three different musical styles of the Zar tradition practised in Egypt.
Um Sameh, Um Hassan, and Nour El-Sabah, the musicians of Mazaher, are among the last remaining Zar practitioners in Egypt.
El-Masreyeen band and Ziad Zaza - music
Thursday, 1 May, 5pm
Greek Campus, 171 Tahrir Str., Downtown, Cairo
The band, one of the most famous Egyptian bands during the past few decades, was launched in 1977 by composer and conductor Hany Shenouda.
This year, its fame shone again after its music was featured in the series Hala Khassa. The band is regularly performing in different venues.
Egyptian rapper Ziad Zaza began his musical career three years ago.
He released five EPs, two albums, and several singles. His song Dayra (2022) has garnered over 3.6 million views on YouTube.
Ali Omar El-Farouk & Ahmed Harfoush - music
Thursday, 1 May, 8pm
Room Art Space & Café, 10 Etehad Al Mohamin Str., Garden City
Dubbed "The Greatest Egyptian and American Songs," the evening will present a selection of jazz and pop classics from the golden era of music, featuring songs by Cole Porter, Abdel-Wahab, George Gershwin, Fareed El-Atrash, Jerome Kern, and Kamal El-Taweel.
The night will be filled with nostalgia, music, and escape with the guitar and vocal sounds of Ali Omar El-Farouk and Harfoush.
El-Farouk is an Egyptian-Canadian guitarist and oud player based in Montreal and Cairo.
He is an active performer, teacher, and composer with a professional career spanning more than two and a half decades.
Harfoush is an Egyptian jazz and pop vocalist based in London and has performed around the world for over two decades.
Aswan International Women Film Festival (AIWFF) - film
Friday, 2 May - Wednesday. 7 May
The 9th edition of the Aswan International Women Film Festival will be held across several venues in the southern city of Aswan.
The festival is named after Umm Kalthoum, so the star's face is featured on the AIWFF's poster.
This unique event is the brainchild of Mohamed Abdel Khalik, the festival's president, and Hassan Abou Eleila, its director.
It is also a platform for films created by women or that tackle women-related issues, featuring workshops, seminars, discussions, and screenings.
The AIWFF invites men to conversations and craft talks to build a dynamic balance between the two genders through the topics tackled and the journeys of the movies' creators.
Moreover, the festival also plays an educational role. Among its various activities aimed at developing and supporting young and aspiring filmmakers, the festival holds workshops in the weeks leading up to the event.
As a result, those from Egypt's south who participate in these workshops start to create short films.
From : Al-Ahram