The results of the eighth session of the National Festival for Egyptian Cinema announced Friday evening aroused controversy among filmmakers as well as critics after the jury had deprived the film Ayyam al Sadat (Sadat Days) of any award.
Some believe that the results of the long narrative films contest released by the jury headed by director Tawfiq Saleh showed bias in favor of the films which were awarded by the jury at the expense of the film Ayyam al Sadat (Sadat Days). They claimed that the action by the jury stemmed from the fact that its members were mostly Naserists and communists.
About his opinion about the awards hand out, the film’s star Ahmed Zaki told the daily al Hayat, “they mixed between politics and art.”
Also the fact that top prizes were handed out to second class stars has created a state of rejection among the first class stars which was apparent in the rejection of the actress Dalal Abdel Aziz to accept the festival prize as the best second women role for her role in the film Asrar al Banat (Girls Secrets). She said, “I am a top star and I shall donate the prize worth of money to the victims of the Israeli aggression.”
Although the film Muwaten, Mukhber Wa Harami (Citizen, Detective and Thief) won four prizes at the festival, its director Daoud Abdel Sayyed told the daily Akhbar al Yawm, “there are other elements in the film that deserve prizes but I was very glad for Salah Abdulla who won the prize for best actor and for Hind Sabri to win the prize for best actress. This has brought me more delight than my winning the prize for best direction for the first time because the two stars are not considered among the top stars.” -- Albawaba.com
