Film about Egypt’s poorest and neglected neighborhoods. “Eye of the Sun”
Friday February 18, 2011. $10 – 7:30pm
La Peña Cultural Center, 3105 Shattuck Ave. Berkeley.
510-849-2568 • www.lapena.org
Dir. Ibrahim El Batout. Feature Film. Egypt. 2008. 90 min. To be followed by panel discussion about the latest events in Egypt and North Africa.
Through the eyes of Shams, an 11 year-old girl inhabitant of the poorest and most neglected neighborhoods, the film captures the sadness and magic that envelops everyday life in Egypt. In a series of heart-rending events, the diverse characters of the film showcase the intricacies of Egypt’s political system and social structure. The director, Ibrahim El-Batout, shot it with a digital camera on a low budget. He did no provide a script to Culture Ministry authorities as required by Egyptian censorship laws. The movie was transferred to 35- millimeter film by the Moroccan Cinema Centre, a government-sponsored institute, and after much haggling, El-Batout said the censor has allowed the filmto be shown as a foreign film. Winner of the Golden Tauro at the Taormina Film Festival and the Golden Hawk award at the Rotterdam Festival. Co-presented with the Arab Film