Could this Cairo cinema spark a revival in regional alternative films?

By Nourhan Khaled

After the Egyptian revolution began back in 2011, Tahrir Square was seen as the center of change.

A sense of renewal, revival and reconstruction of a new country was in the air and Egyptians wanted to breathe it all in. Besides political and economical change, there was also a movement towards cultural change.

Filled with pride and excitement to have their voices truly heard for the first time in decades, the revolution sparked Egyptian interest in the arts, freedom of speech, and the desire to reinvent and revive the country’s once thriving cinema and theater scene.

During its initial golden era in the 1950s and 60s, the Egyptian film industry flourished, creating stories that reflected daily life and society at the time and continue to be beloved works of art today. However, after state ownership and censorship gripped the industry, Egyptian film production began to decline. Today, the industry creates just 20 films a year of inadequate quality and without the cultural richness that made the country’s most historic movies memorable.

In 2013, the nine day Euro Film Panorama screened a number of European films in Cairo to appeal to a larger and more diverse audience in Egypt. After the Panorama ended, however, the people of Cairo had no access or outlet to view alternative films from and beyond the Arab region.

Beginning as a mere expansion of the Euro Panorama, ‘Zawya’ which means perspective or angle in Arabic, was founded. Seating a hundred and seventy people, the newly renovated cinema in Downtown Cairo aims to showcase the beauty of alternative films, access the country’s “poorly tapped market” and bring back traditional Egyptian films to a new, younger audience that appreciate films and the arts that convey merit and cultural substance.

The first film screened was Wajda,a story of a young Saudi girl who wants nothing more than to beat her male friend in a bicycle race, an activity that is frowned upon for young girls in the Saudi culture. This rebellious character faces numerous odds stacked against her simply because of gender oppression, but will stop at nothing to achieve her goal.

As the first art cinema house in downtown Cairo, this initiative is a much-needed cultural addition to the country.

“I was home last month, and downtown isn’t what it used to be. The city center feels as though it’s dwindling,” said 21-year-old Nadine Mohsen, who recently visited her hometown of Cairo.

Incorporating Zawya into the city center resuscitates Downtown Cairo, infusing life into a city that is home to one of the world’s oldest film industry. Besides reviving the city, Zawya also helps younger generations appreciate what once was home to the region’s film legacies and greatest cinema classics. The selected films screened in the venue embody the rich culture, characters, and regional nuances that helped the country’s golden age films stand the test of time.

“I believe it is absolutely a beautiful thing to allow my generation to expand its culture further by learning who we were once were as a society. And if film-making and production was once what made us legacies, then I, too will make sure my children know about it,” said Mohsen.

Whether this will have a positive effect on the people of Egypt is still a thing that is unknown but so far, the renovated art house has already sold out screening its special, big-name premieres. These films are shown for about a week, and are priced at EGP 20.

This promising trend towards showcasing alternative regional films is more than just about the legacy and revival of Egypt’s film industry. It is about the people who view them and the pride that comes with witnessing the artistic best of Egypt and the region on screen. Heritage is of great importance to one’s being and it is essential that the future Egyptian generations embrace, cherish and carry on what their predecessors once triumphed in.