Egyptian producer Mohamed Hefzy said securing international sales remains a challenge for Arab films, as he presented two features at El Gouna Film Festival (October 24-November 1).
Hefzy, head and co-founder of the Cairo-based production company Film Clinic, produced Egyptian filmmaker Jaylan Auf’s feature debut The Inevitable Journey To Find A Wedding Dress, which premieres in El Gouna’s narrative competition. He was also present for a retrospective screening of his own writing debut Snakes And Ladders (2001).
The seasoned writer/producer noted that, while many Arabic and Egyptian films tour festivals worldwide and often win awards, securing sales is problematic. “Some films gain attention, but the offers presented are not reassuring enough for us to grant rights,” he said.
And that lack of opportunity extends, he asserted, to the region’s Oscar chances. With Hank Khalifia’s Flight 404 being chosen as Egypt’s official best international feature submission it marks the second consecutive Film Clinic production to represent the country following last year’s Voy! Voy! Voy! from Omar Hilal. Yet, said Hefzy, ”2023 was a better year for Arab cinema. I don’t think submitted Arab films have a strong chance this year. It will be more challenging for Flight 404, but we will do our best.
Hefzy noted that the lack of a major distribution company in the US makes it difficult for Arab films to compete. “The chances would be better if we had Netflix, Sony or Neon to promote the film. It’s a tough and uneven competition, because we can’t push a film with just a $100,000 budget.”
Inevitable Journey
Hopes remain high, however, for The Inevitable Journey, the story of a woman searching Cairo for a dress on the evening of her wedding. “After reading the script for the first time, I didn’t hesitate to back this project” said Hefzy, “Jaylan is a promising award-winning filmmaker, and the involvement of prominent Egyptian filmmaker Ahmed Abdalla as a creative producer added an extra layer of reassurance”
Auf previously worked as a freelance news and documentary producer on multiple international productions. Her first short film, Reminiscent Of A Lost Time, was nominated for the Robert Bosch Stiftung prize, while her second short, Turning Ten, premiered in the official selection at Clermont-Ferrand International Short Film Festival in 2019.
Starring Egyptian actors Yasmin Raeis and Asmaa Galal, The Inevitable Journey will also compete in the Red Sea International Film Festival (Dec 5-14). Front Row Entertainment has distribution rights in Saudi Arabia and Gulf countries.
Elsewhere, El Gouna’s Special Screening programme hosted a screening of Snakes And Ladders, attended by Hefzy, director Tarek Al Arian, lead actress Hala Shiha and Emmy-nominated composer Hesham Nazih, known for Marvel’s Moon Knight.
Hefzy believes that the romantic comedy about the complicated love story between a reckless young man and an independent woman, will be received differently today than it was in 2001.
Packed slate
In the years since Snakes And Ladders, Hefzy has written and co-written various film and TV shows. Most recently he was part of the writing team for the Egyptian adaptation of the hit legal American TV show Suits. “Unfortunately time is always a great obstacle. I can’t write while working on my production projects.” he explains.
Film Clinic recently wrapped shooting on Berlin, from award-winning Egyptian filmmaker Ahmad Abdalla, known for Heliopolis (2009), Rags & Tatters (2013), Exterior/Night (2018) and19B which won three awards at the Cairo International Film Festival in 2022.
Berlin, which shot entirely in the German capital and revolves around Arab immigrants living there, features Arab and Egyptian actors including Menna Shalaby, Yousra El Lozy, and Mohamed Hatem, Hefzy is co-producing with Egyptian producer Kesmat Elsayed, co-founder of Berlin-based Seera Films GmbH production company.
Film Clinic is also collaborating with One To One Productions, Film Square Productions and UAE-based Vox Studios for Darwish, produced by Hefzy, Mamdouh El Sebae and Ahmed Baday.
Starring Amr Youssef, Dina El-Sherbiny, and Tara Emad, adventure comedy Darwish is set in 1943 and “follows a conman who inadvertently becomes a national hero,” said Hefzy. Written by Wissam Sabry and directed by Walid Al-Halfway, the film will be released in Egypt and Gulf countries.
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