Their projects are among 15 others selected to apply for funding at Cannes 2022.
Cannes Film Festival has selected two Egyptian directors for mentorship and funding platforms to help them complete works in progress.
Ahmed Fawzi-Saleh’s Hamlet from the Slums is among 15 projects chosen for L’Atelier co-production forum and Morad Mostafa’s Aisha Can’t Fly Away Anymore is one of 10 films selected for La Fabrique Cinema programme.
L’Atelier supports emerging filmmakers and arranges meetings with film industry professionals interested in investing in their projects.
La Fabrique Cinema was created by the Institut Francais, in partnership with several sponsors, to support new talented filmmakers from southern emerging countries.
The programme invited 10 directors working on their first or second feature films to attend Cannes along with their producers. Apart from Egypt, the countries selected this year include Burkina Faso, India, Mexico, Nepal, Pakistan, Rwanda, Ukraine and Vietnam.
Hamlet from the Slums tells the story of Ahmed, 18, who lives in a Cairo slum under threat of urban development. After the ghost of his late father demands revenge for his alleged assassination, Ahmed struggles to reconcile his perceived duty with his peaceful Sufi beliefs.
The film is produced and co-written by Ahmed Amer, who also co-wrote Feathers, and stars Ahmed Dash.
The project has been in development for the past two years and won several grants, including through El Gouna Film Festival’s CineGouna platform, the Doha Film Institute, and the Rotterdam Lab.
Other Arab directors selected for L’Atelier include Iraq’s Ali Al Fatlawi with The Blind Ferryman, Palestine’s Ihab Jadallah with The Doubt, and Sudanese Suzannah Mirghani’s Cotton Queen.
Aisha Can’t Fly Anymore is Mostafa’s first feature film. The film is co-written by Muhammad Abdulqader and produced by Sawsan Yusuf and its co-producers include Mohamed Hefzy, the founder of distributor Film Clinic and the former president of the Cairo International Film Festival.
It revolves around a young Somali woman working as a caretaker for the elderly in Ain Shams, a Cairo suburb where many African refugees live. The pressures on her build up until they come to a head.
The project has already secured several grants and mentoring support, including from Rotterdam Lab, El Gouna Film Festival and the Red Sea International Film Festival.
