Gamal Zayda: “Cinema is a cross-fertilization of cultures”

Cinema is the ultimate pervert art that does not give you what you desire, but tells you how to desire it. It is no coincidence that writer and journalist, Gamal Zayda, has chosen for the last four years to devote time and effort to this fascinating art; since he is himself a passionate cinema observer and an avid bookworm, “Being passionate cannot be fragmented, it is a whole state of mind!” he exclaimed, when interviewed by Syriatimes.

Movies are a favorite pastime for the journalist. “Being a very passionate movie viewer, I watch movies on a daily basis. For me, cinema is the pleasure of bringing imagination onto a silver screen.It is human, society, and cross-cultural. It helps me relax and it stimulates my mind.It gives me happiness- or sorrow, and it keeps my emotions ongoing.”

Egypt is no stranger to film; the northeastern Middle Eastern and North African nation has been the leader of  the film industry in the Middle East, dating as far back as 1896 with silent films. The country has a strong and robust film industry with some of the region’s most leading men and women of the silver screen.

Therefore, Noon Foundation, under Mr. Zayda’s direction, established the Sharm El-Sheikh Film Festival (SSFF) four year ago. The festival was in response of the cinema industry’s needs to display its products in front of pictures  producers, makers, directors, actors and all concerned in this large fabulous industry all over the world; or as Mr. Zayda put it “Cinema is a cross-fertilization of cultures.”

Noon Foundation aims to open channels of exchange in all cultural and artistic fields between Egypt and the world, and disseminate better knowledge of the other through the organization of cultural and cinematic events in Egypt and in different countries of the world.

Mr. Zayda participated with a group of the most important Egyptian filmmakers in establishing Noon Foundation for Culture and Arts, like the great director Dawood Abdel Sayed, who left a distinctive mark in the history of Egyptian cinema and screened the “Kit Kat”; director Dr. Mohamed Kamel Al-Qalioubi and the critic Dr. Magda Wasef, head of Arab Cinema at the Arab World Institute in Paris for 25 years, and the late critic Youssef SherifRizkallah. In addition,Noon foundation launched Luxor European Film Festival and managed it for 4 years while Mr. Zayda was holding the title of general secretary of the foundation.

Sharm El-Sheikh Film Festival is an annual event organized by Noon Foundation for Culture and Arts with the contribution of the Egyptian Ministry of Culture as well as public and private organizations in Egypt and Europe. The festival aims to raise cinematic awareness and promote distinguished audio and visual works through the screening of nearly 60 international and Arab films, allowing filmmakers in the Arab world and Europe to establish a mutual dialogue, exchange experiences and open new markets for Arab, European and American films.

Mr. Zayda is an attentive and direct man and it is clear that film is a personal passion of his. “Doing a festival was always on my mind. So we initiated at Noon Foundation a film festival at Sharm El-Sheikh because this place provides a good ambience for the festival, being a coastal charming city attracting people; as well as evoking international film festivals like Cannes and Venice festivals.” he continues.

Concerning the factors that make any film festival a real success, MrZayda explained“it is a long process that needs attentive organization, beginning from the opening ceremony and all the steps toward the closing ceremony that should be well thought-out and impressive.” He added that such festivals could create a platform to exchange views and films, bridging between filmmakers inside Egypt as well as all over the world, since SSFF hosts 25 countries and has protocols with some International film festivals in Russia, China, Belgrade, Kazakhstan, Morocco, and Tunisia.

It is noteworthy that Mr. Zayda was the festival head for the first two consecutive sessions of Sharm El-Sheikh Film Festival, and will preside over this year session; having for motto: humanity in the face of epidemics and wars, which comes as a direct reflection of the 2020’s exceptional events. Covid 19 has marked human history at the dawn of the third millennium, and will certainly be an elaborated theme in the film industry for the coming years. Therefore, head of the festival assured that humanity’s confrontation with epidemics and more particularly Covid 19, will take a big part of this year’s session through a number of films dealing with Corona issues through fictional films, short films and documentaries. Still, launching the festival under unprecedented circumstances required determination and a readiness to face emergencies.

Sharm el Sheikh Film Festival announced dedicating its 4th edition to veteran Egyptian director Daoud Abdel Sayed, who is a distinguished Egyptian director and scriptwriter born in Cairo 1946. He debuted his artistic career as the assistant of late great Egyptian director Youssef Chahin in “El Ard” (The Land) movie. Sayed is regarded as one of the pioneers of New Realism School. New Realism appeared in Egyptian cinematography in the 1980s as a revival of the wave of realism that had dominated Egyptian cinema in the 1960s; reflecting Egyptian daily life, portraying modest people as protagonists.

On the sidelines of the festival, there will be workshops for young generations of filmmakers to introduce the film industry and exchange views. Along with a wide-ranging entertaining program for all participants.

 “Cinema is a matter of what’s in the frame and what’s out.”As Martin Scorsese very wittily expressed it. So cinema is not only about dreaming, but it is as well about making people think and change things outside the screen. A saying that has affected Syrian participation in all previous rounds of SSFF,since Syrian film industry has been deeply impacted after 10 years of ongoing war, as all other domains in Syria. Yet, that has not stopped Syrian filmmakers from trying to leave their trace by making films talking about their concerns and anxieties in wartime; but as well about their small daily delights.

Syrian films have traveled despite all restrictions, and won awards as well. “War travelers” by Syrian director JoudSaeed won the award for best Arab film at the Sharm El Sheikh Film Festival third session, which was dedicated to Asian Cinema. The film, starring Ayman Zidan, deals with the story of an employee who retires and leaves the city of Aleppo and decides to return to his hometown and takes a bus to get there. However,groups of other travelers take part in the trip, which turns into a panorama to go again through war as they pass by different stations.Whereas, the short film “NukhabThani” – written and directed by Osama Obeid Al-Nasser and produced by Syrian National Film Organization – won second place in the short film competition.

Now more than ever we need to talk to each other, to listen to each other and understand how we see the world, and cinema is the best medium for doing this.Relating a person to the whole world: that is the meaning of cinema.

Interview&Report: Lama Alhassanieh