A perfect rendition of the Lebanese Tsursuq Market can now be found in a desert road in Alexandria. But, the ‘set’ is not public; in fact, it will probably be destroyed soon.
The set was built for Najla Fathi’s latest movie Ya Aziz Eini (Light of My Eye).
According to the MENA news agency, the set will later be destroyed by a fire, set to depict an explosion in the market.
The explosion will be the first climax of the film in which Najla’s little boy will be lost, in the chaos that follows the devastating blast.
Currently, Najla is still in Lebanon filming the less violent scenes of her upcoming film.
The actress had adopted the movie, a few months back, after reading the novel it is based on, by writer Sharif Al Shubashi’s Al Sheikh Abdullah (Sheikh Abdullah).
Najal was immediately taken with the novel and asked director Mohammad Abu Seif and scriptwriter Ashraf Mohammad to pursue the matter.
However, Abu Seif, convinced Najla to resign as the move’s producer saying that she should focus completely on acting.
Egyptian producer Mohammad Yassin took on the project and allocated a reported budget of 2 million Egyptian pounds for the project.
Meanwhile, starring alongside Najla are Ahmad Khalil and Lebanese actors Carmen Lopoz and Joseph Ponceau.
The extensive research for the movie is destined to make it a success, says the scriptwriter.
Ashraf visited Lebanon and met with various Lebanese families who lived through the war. He also read many novels about the war.
“The romantic action of the film takes place between Egypt and Lebanon, through our two characters, Najla and Khalil,” he explained.
As the story goes, the couple travels to Lebanon in the summer of 1975 to have a vacation with their only son.
Disaster strikes when, during a walk in the Tsursoq market, a big explosion occurs. The couple are hit and are immediately taken to the hospital. When they regain consciousness, they realize that their son is missing. After searching for a long time, the couple gives up hope and decides to go back home.
However, the mother spends the next 15 years hoping that her son would return. Following the end of the war, the mother returns to Lebanon to find her son.
At one point, she receives a phone call from the Egyptian Foreign Ministry informing her that their embassy in Lebanon had found a boy who comes very close to matching her descriptions.
The mother then goes to find her son and, little did she know, her adventure was just about to begin – Albawaba.com.
© 2000 Al Bawaba (www.albawaba.com)
