The five daughters of the late ‘Monster of the Screen,’ Farid Shawq, are in court disputes because of one daughter’s decision to sell her father’s movies.
Nahed Farid Shawqi sold the rights of nine of her father’s films to the Adel Jroub company. The nine films are considered Shawqi’s best works and include: Mada Qitar El Omr (The Train of Life Went By), Hakatha Al Ayam (Those Are the Days), Al Buasa’a (The Miserable), Almuathafoun Fil Ard (Workers on Earth), La’nat Imra’a (The Curse of a Woman), La Tabky Ya Habib Al Omr (Don’t Cry My Love), Cabaret Al Hayat (Life’s Cabaret), Hakamat Al Mahkama (The Courts Ruled) and Sadeeki El Wafi.
According to Al Bayan newspaper, Nahed, being president of production and distribution in the Newstar company, which her father had established in 1973 for his five daughters Mona, Maha, Nahed, Abir and Rania, had conducted the sale.
Nahed received 90,000 Egyptian pounds for the sale, whereby each film was sold for 10,000 pounds, a measly price. Nowadays, production and distribution companies can easily sell movie rights for a minimum of 150,000 Egyptian pounds.
However, three of the sister’s emphasized that the dispute was not over the price but the principle. They also expressed that they resented their sister’s underhanded sale of her father’s movies and that they found out about it by chance. Rania, Mona and Abir could not renege on the signed contracts.
Consequently, the girls filed a lawsuit against their sister asking for the nullification of the contract and that Nahed be removed from her position in her father’s company because her behavior had harmed the organization.
A ruling is expected on September 2nd.
The sister’s also asked that Mona be the provisional president of the company, until a suitable candidate is found.
Meanwhile, Maha Shawqi, who ironically is Nahed’s full sister from mother Huda Sultan, stood alongside Nahed in her sale.
Moreover, the lawsuit also entails various different charges.
The sisters claimed that Nahed also established another company, the Egypt Production and Distribution Company just like Newstar, which violates business ethics, since the new company is a competitor. Furthermore, Nahed also gave her new company exclusive rights to sell Newstar’s material.
The lawsuit also directed a warning to the CEO of Nahed’s company, stating that ‘it is illegal to sell or use any of Newstars material.’
Meanwhile, Rania, an actress herself, said that she had never thought a day would come when the daughters of Farid Shawqi would have to stand facing each other to preserve the heritage of their father – Albawaba.com
© 2000 Al Bawaba (www.albawaba.com)
