‘Hedi’ Screens at the African Cinema Club of the Luxor African Film Festival

The African Cinema Club is organized by the Luxor African Film Festival in cooperation with Egypt's Cultural Development Fund (CDF). The African Cinema Club waslaunched in 2017 in the attendance of Egypt's Minister of Culture Helmy Al-Namnam along with a number of African ambassadors. The club seeks to introduce Egyptian audiences to African films. The screenings are held every Saturday at 07:00 PM.

 

Hedi made its Egyptian premiere at the 6^th Luxor African Film Festival in 2017, where director and writer Mohamed Ben Attia competed within the Long Narrative Films competition and won the Best Artistic Achievement Award. The film had its theatrical release in Egypt and many other Arab countries.

 

Hedi follows Hedi, a young man of few words who doesn't expect much from the future and lets others make his big decisions for him. His mother is preparing his marriage to Khadija, but two days before that; Hedi meets Rim in the city of Mahdia, who captivates him by her free-spirit, and he finds himself obsessed with this new-born passion. The film stars Majd Mastoura, Rym Ben Messaoud, and Sabah Bouzouita.

 

Hedi is written and directed by Mohamed Ben Attia, and co-produced by Dora Bouchoucha, Nadim Cheikhrouha, along with Belgian producers and directors, the brothers Jean-Pierre Dardenne and Luc Dardenne (Two Days, One Night), while the distribution of the film is handled by MAD Solutions.

 

Hedi has been to many international festivals winning several awards. At the beginning of 2016, itsdirector Mohamed Ben Attia won the Best First Feature Award, and its lead actor Majd Mastoura won the Silver Berlin Bear at the Berlinale, as an unprecedented achievement for an Arab film at the festival. The film also won the Golden Athena Award for Best Picture at the Athens International Film Festival.

Hedi's lead Mastoura won the Best Actor Award at the Critics' Awards, offered by the Arab Cinema Center (ACC), and the Best Artistic Achievement Award at the Luxor African Film Festival. The film took part in over 20 international festivals including; the BFI London Film Festival, Dubai International Film Festival (DIFF), Cairo Cinema Days, Sudan Independent Film Festival (SIFF), and Festival International du Cinéma Méditerranéen de Tétouan.