Egyptian Censors Give Green Light to ‘Adolescent Memoirs’

Egyptian censors have given green light to the film Muthakarat Murahika (Adolescent Memoirs) directed by Enas al Degheidi after omitting the most exciting six scenes from the film. 

“Although many people objected to many scenes in the film and demanded banning it, I nixed that and asked the censors to meet the director and screenwriter to discuss with them the omission of the objected scenes. Both the director and writer agreed to omit six scenes in response to the censors’ demands,” the chairman of the Censorship Committee, Madkour Thabet, said. 

Earlier a number of Egyptian critics who saw the film at the latest Cairo International Film Festival assailed the film in the local papers for the reportedly alleged impolite scenes. 

The film, which was scripted by Abdel Hai Adib, is about an adolescent student named Jamila (Hind Sabri), who is a romantic girl coming from a middle class family with dreams of love. Jamila fantasises about herself as Cleopetra with her lover Antonio. She meets her lover accidentally and lives with him as if in a love story. 

However, she becomes pregnant and faces many problems with her community, including rape. 

The film also depicts the rich families’ circumstances, traditions, religious fanaticism and the situation of women in Upper Egypt. 

On the other hand, the film audience in Egypt expressed their anger and resentment for the first time in one of the screening venues over the exciting scenes in the film Muwaten, Mukhber Wa Harami (Citizen, Detective and Thief).  

“The venue security guards failed to control the protesting audience which led to the halt of the film’s screening for half an hour during which women left the cinema hall,” the Saudi daily al Watan said. 

The audience protested against three scenes. After the incident, the screening venues followed a new system of warning families about these scenes prior to selling them the tickets -- Albawaba.com