By Ahmed Shady
The long-awaited Khairy Beshara Cinema programme commenced at Zawya Cinema on January 5 and will last until January 31.
Located in downtown Cairo, Zawya Cinema organises the event to give audiences the chance to rediscover the diverse works of Khairy Beshara, a cinema director known for his rebellious ideas.
The programme includes 12 of Beshara’s films, some of which were restored by the Red Sea Film Festival, the National Contemporary Cinema Centre, and some young cinema directors.
The films include Buoy No. 70, The Ring and The Bracelet, A Bitter Day and A Sweet One, Crab, Wild Desire, Ice Cream in Gleam, America Chica Pica, Strawberry War, Traffic Light, Moon Night, and Moon Dog.
Participating in the programme are also three documentaries, namely Tank Hunter, Seagull and The Countryside Doctor.
The programme kicked off with the screening of Crab which stars late actor Ahmed Zaki.
Mohamed Saeed, the on-location Zawya Cinema director, said the opening show of the programme saw intensive turnout.
A seminar was held after the screening of the film, which was moderated by director Omar el Zohairy who was greatly influenced by Beshara.
To everybody’s joy, Beshara attended this seminar. Discussions in the gathering tackled the future vision of cinematography works and the difficulties faced by Beshara while shooting the film.
The seminar also included an open dialogue with the audience.
Another seminar was held after the screening of Buoy No. 70 January 6. It was moderated by Director Alia Ayman. A third seminar was held after the screening of The Ring and The Bracelet on January 8. This seminar was moderated by filmmaker Ahmed Fawzi Saleh who directed critically acclaimed film Poisonous Roses.
Film Director Amir Ramses said the programme makes the audience acquainted with Beshara’s works.
“The huge audience turnout for Beshara’s restored films is a living proof to the presence of great interest in this type of cinema,” Ramses told the Egyptian Mail in an interview.
He described Beshara as a ‘pioneer’ of filmmaking.
“It is not easy to overlook him,” Ramses said of Beshara. “He created his own innovative path.”
He noted that those watching Beshara’s films can easily recognise his style, even before they know that these films are of his own making.
Beshara, Ramses said, used to revolt against all norms and break all barriers.
In the 1980s, Beshara was at the forefront of what came to be known as the ‘neo-realistic cinema wave in Egypt and the Arab world.
This wave came in response to the psychological conflicts of daily life.
It was considered a window into new ideas on identity and culture within familiar templates for simple people, according to Ramses.
“Later on, Beshara revolted against himself and against the neo-realistic cinematic wave he pioneered,” Ramses said.
He noted that Beshara did this by introducing a new chapter of popular fantasy cinema that started with Crab in 1990, and then followed by A Wild Desire, Ice Cream in Gleam, and America Chica Pica.
Bishara was born on June 30, 1947 in Tanta, just when his mother was on her way to visit some relatives.
He lived in this small city until the age of five and then moved to Cairo’s Shubra district to join a school.
He graduated from the Higher Institute of Cinema in 1967. He assisted Abbas Kamel in directing the I am the Doctor film and Tawfiq Saleh in directing the film A Village Investigator’s Diaries.
Beshara’s started his film direction career by making documentaries. He was instrumental in the establishment of the National Centre for Documentary and Short Films in 1967.
Regarded as one of the most important directors in Egyptian cinema, Beshara has won numerous awards, including the Idea Award for his documentary film Tank Hunter in 1975.
He also received the State Encouragement Award in Arts from the Supreme Council for Arts, Literature and Social Sciences.
