At a joint press conference held at the Cairo Opera House the Australian Ambassador to Egypt HE Mr Robert Bowker, the Director General of the Egyptian Ministry of Culture Mr Ayman Abd El Moniem Mahmoud and Mr Romy Hawatt – Senior Executive of SAE International announced the screening of the first ‘Australian Embassy SAE Film Festival’.
Under the generous patronage of the Egyptian Ministry of Culture, the Festival is to be held at the Cairo Opera House from 18 - 21 November 2006 and will screen 5 acclaimed Australian Films.
This Festival is a first of it’s kind in the Middle East and will provide a backdrop to showcase and demonstrate some of the vast – high end - creative and technical talent that Australia has to offer in the Art & Science of Film.
HE Mr Robert Bower said ‘ unlike many of the big international productions that tend to be developed around fictional characters, violence & big effects, Australian Films tend to lean more to subjects that relate to real people and subjects that people in general can relate to ’ and he adds ‘ this is something he believes Arab audiences will also be able to relate to’.
The Egyptian Ministry of Culture has confirmed the importance in having these films screened in the Arab world in it’s support to develop mutual understanding and bridge the cultural gap between Australians and Arabs.
Mr Ayman Abd El Moniem Mahmoud indicated that ‘the hope and objective is to stimulate interest & awareness in Australian film with local audiences whilst associating and encouraging cooperation and alignment in the future development of the regions film-making & TV production industries’.
Mr Romy Hawatt, Senior Executive of SAE International also advises “It is a fact that the medium of Film is engaging, educational & entertaining to a large cross section of the domestic and regional audience and this medium clearly supports self-expression and information transfer especially among the youth. The international Film & Television industry is postured for exceptional growth over the next 10 years and it is a collective task, at both the Government & Private sector level, to bring the Middle East Film & Television industries into line with the world’s best practices & standards.”.
SAE Institute has a 30 year history of providing education and creative & practical training in film making, animation, audio engineering, TV & music production, digital video, graphics, multimedia, entertainment business and web design and has already added Dubai, Kuwait and Amman ( open in March 2007 ) to it’s list of 49 international campuses.
With the support of the Egyptian Government, SAE Institute also plans to open it’s doors in Egypt in the not too distant future.
It is expected that the Australian Embassy SAE Film Festival will excite, educate, & inspire audiences and young film makers alike.
SAE Institute will continue to lead the way and set the pace in creative technology & media education on individual, corporate & government platforms internationally.
Our ongoing process of expanding & updating worldwide campuses with state-of-the-art equipment, engaging only the best educators and the provision of a curriculum that reflects advancements in industry needs and the latest technologies will only strengthen SAE’s unique positioning as the worlds largest and most progressive creative technology & media education group.
