Actor Dawoud thrilled by reaction to Day 13

For the third week in a row, actor Ahmed Dawoud maintained the lead with his 3D-film Day 13, achieving close to LE25 million (roughly $785,000) in revenues.

‏Considered the first Arab feature film shown in the 3D technology, the film tells the story of Ezzeldine (played by Dawoud) who returns to Egypt after living abroad for 25 years.

‏Ezzeldine comes back home only to sell his family’s mansion. However, he faces tonnes of rumours about the mansion being haunted.

‏The film is dominated by a gloomy, frightening atmosphere, being full of mysteries and eerie settings.

‏It is part of a tough race with six other films that are screened at the same time.

‏These films include Harley, which stars Mohamed Ramadan, Coco’s Adventures, which stars comedian Bayoumi Fouad, and Ramses-Paris, which stars Lebanese singer and actress Haifa Wahbi.

‏They also include Away from Evil, which stars comedian Ali Rabie, Hour of Answer, which stars comedian Mohamed Tharwat, and Hajj Ahmed’s son, which stars comedian Chico.

‏Together with Dawoud, Day 13 also features Dina el-Sherbiny, Sherif Mouneer, Ahmed Zaher, and Jumana Mourad, among others.

‏The film is written and directed by Wael Abdullah and produced by the production and distribution company, Oscar.

Dawoud expressed happiness with the success the film achieved in the cinemas so far.

“I got very excited about the idea of the film as soon as I started reading its script,” Dawoud told the Egyptian Mail.
‏”The fact that the idea of the film is new increased my enthusiasm for it,” he added on the phone.

‏He noted that he works to introduce a new form of cinema that respects viewers’ thinking.

‏Day 13, he said, is the first movie to be shown in the 3D technology in Egypt.

“The revenues made by films are a pillar of the cinema industry and a measure of the success of these films,” Dawoud said.
‏Nevertheless, Dawoud and his colleagues had a rough ride in the making of the film.

‏He said the film’s makers faced difficulty using the 3D technology on the road to producing a high-quality film similar to foreign ones.

Dawoud revealed that visual effects were added to the work after the filming processes itself.

‏He also pointed to the possibility of making another part of the film.

‏Day 13, Dawoud said, has an open ending that allows for a sequel.

“Nonetheless, we have not agreed on a second part yet,” Dawoud said.

‏Dawoud works on a second part of his television programme, the Container, in which the actor throws light on industrial production sites in all parts of Egypt.

‏He also revealed that he prepares for another film, even as he declined to provide details about the new film.

‏Critics, meanwhile, praised Day 13, with some of them describing it as an ‘important’, ‘ambitious’ and ‘different’ experience.

“The film tries to mix two extremely difficult genres, which is very difficult,” art critic Mahmoud Abdel Shakour wrote on Facebook.

‏He commended the performance and the selection of the actors.

“It is an interesting film that deserves to be watched,” Abdel Shakour said.

‏Born on January 31, 1983, Dawoud is an Egyptian actor who appeared in a number of TV series, including Suits, Grand Hotel, This Evening, Women’s Jail and Hepta.

‏He holds a bachelor’s degree in engineering and is married to female comedian Ola Roshdy. They have a son and a daughter.