The decision taken by the Egyptian actors’ association to nominate comedy star Adel Imam for president Mubarak award for arts this year has aroused extensive controversy, according to the daily al Riyadh.
People in the art and media circles were divided between advocates and opposing to the decision. Some people saw that Imam is a thorough artist who deserves the title for his tremendous TV, cinema and stage artwork while others oppose to the idea claiming that although he recorded many successes in comedy, he is not considered the pioneer in this line. They added crediting Imam for that would mean that the association is overlooking the role of a more prominent artist such as Fuad al Muhandes.
Being the bearer of the title “Ambassador of Good Intentions for Refugees” enhances Imam’s position in his battle with his competitors but the fact that many artists have recently secured this title decreases its importance. Every year we hear about a fairly large number of artists securing this title, the paper added.
The nomination of Imam for the award has come at a time when his cinema work has slipped and the new comedy stars defeating him, as he has not appeared in a film over the past three years. His last appearance was in the film Risalah Ela al Wali (Message to the Ruler) which did not achieve the anticipated success. There is also a film for Imam entitled Amir al Zalam (Prince of Darkness) which has been waiting for screening for more than one year and has been postponed many times over fears of failure in the presence of the young comedy stars whose films generate millions of pounds.
Despite the standards, which govern the nomination of artists, some voices demanded reference to the artist popularity and his fans while others favored the age factor and giving the old stars the opportunity before it was too late. Other voices called for referring to the list of best 100 films in the history of the Egyptian cinema. This camp says that it is inappropriate to nominate an artist who has no film on this list -- Albawaba.com
