Egyptian director Enas Deghaidi has announced that she has chosen the former Miss Lebanon Nicole Bardawi for a leading role in her upcoming film "Al Bahithat An Al Huria" (Seekers of Freedom), to play the role of a Lebanese girl living abroad.
Enas has also chosen the Egyptian actress Dalia Al Buhairi for the role of the Egyptian girl and Moroccan Sana’ Mozian for the Moroccan girl role.
The director had previously revealed that she will travel to Lebanon to spend five days, in which she hopes to find an extremely beautiful girl to star in her film "Al Bahithat An Al Huria". Enas's trip was an urgent one, especially due to the fact that she is scheduled to begin filming scenes in the very near future.
According to the London based Elaph, Enas had previously nominated Haifa instead of Lebanese singer Haifa Wahbi for the role and actress Nour before that, in the hope that one would accept to play the part of a freedom loving Lebanese girl living in Paris-France.
At first Haifa had given her initial acceptance and so Enas she began all the necessary preparations and alterations needed for the film in order to begin shooting the scenes. But after Haifa declined the part, Enas began negotiating an offer with Tunisian actress Hind Sabri,
The film revolves around problems Arab girls living abroad encounter striving to find ways of having their own freedom. Each of the girls, who are chosen from different countries, tries to break free of the traditional Arab restrictions found in their countries and escape to the West.
The girls encounter unexpected restrictions while living abroad which make them wish they never left their home countries and makes them realize that any problem faced at home can be solved much easier than ones found abroad. The film is a wakeup call to those living under the illusion that the West holds all the answers to freedom, where it shows the negative aspects immigrating has on people’s lives in terms of cultural and religious differences that are difficult to acquire.
Deghaidi insists on her style in tackling issues in the cinema pushing the envelope of challenge. She adds that “The reaction to the film is very good and this is proven by the large revenues generated and the large number of people coming to watch it. The film doesn’t in any way insult the woman and just brings-to-lightsome of the prohibited acts a girl may violate. Once asked about the frequent and provocative sex scenes she uses in her movies, Deghaidi answered, "I try to deal with the social issues, however, they always, in one way or another, transfer themselves into one major issue: sex!!" -Albawaba.com
© 2003 Al Bawaba (www.albawaba.com)
