Curator’s Statement
Short films have been and continue to be the broadest and most accessible medium for free expression, whether in terms of tackling ideas, technology, or inventiveness in film.
The brief running time of short films may constitute an obstacle in finding screening venues, but this brevity gives filmmakers a free rein to voice their opinions and positions, pushing each film towards innovative content on both commercial and cultural levels.
Last year I had the honor of being invited to select a number of Egyptian films for the Arab Shorts project, and I am delighted to have had the opportunity to choose new films for this year’s program. The selection proved to be more difficult this time around since the films had to conform to a general theme.
"Post-Realist Reality" is the theme of this year – a theme that, as it happens, describes the state of short and independent cinema in Egypt today. The awards won by Egyptian films, the emergence of a large number of films and film festivals in 2009 and 2010, and the striking diversity of these films has placed Egyptian films in a position of distinction amidst Arab cinema.
I have chosen films that represent this development in terms of their visual qualities, content, idea or approach to the medium of film. In addition to films by Egyptians, I have also deliberately included films that take Egypt as their topic or that have been shot in Egypt, with the goal of presenting different perspectives on how to make short films focused on this area of the world.
I want to express my thanks to all the filmmakers who graciously allowed their films to be screened as part of this program and everyone who helped bring this task to completion.
The brief running time of short films may constitute an obstacle in finding screening venues, but this brevity gives filmmakers a free rein to voice their opinions and positions, pushing each film towards innovative content on both commercial and cultural levels.
Last year I had the honor of being invited to select a number of Egyptian films for the Arab Shorts project, and I am delighted to have had the opportunity to choose new films for this year’s program. The selection proved to be more difficult this time around since the films had to conform to a general theme.
"Post-Realist Reality" is the theme of this year – a theme that, as it happens, describes the state of short and independent cinema in Egypt today. The awards won by Egyptian films, the emergence of a large number of films and film festivals in 2009 and 2010, and the striking diversity of these films has placed Egyptian films in a position of distinction amidst Arab cinema.
I have chosen films that represent this development in terms of their visual qualities, content, idea or approach to the medium of film. In addition to films by Egyptians, I have also deliberately included films that take Egypt as their topic or that have been shot in Egypt, with the goal of presenting different perspectives on how to make short films focused on this area of the world.
I want to express my thanks to all the filmmakers who graciously allowed their films to be screened as part of this program and everyone who helped bring this task to completion.
Biography
Emad Mabrouk was born in Alexandria and has worked as a filmmaker and cultural program planner since 2003. He has directed a number of films, including The Dead Won’t Mind (El-Maiyet Mesh ha Yiza’al), The Grocer’s Daughter (Bent El Ba’al), The Color of Life (Loun El-Hayat).
He won a scholarship to study creative documentary film at the Arab Film Institute in Jordan, followed by another scholarship from the National School of Cinema in Denmark in collaboration with SEMAT Foundation to study direction for multiple cameras. He was a member of the viewers’ committee of the Cairo Independent Film Festival.
He coordinates and manages filmmaking programs in a number of places and also supervises The Filmmaking Workshop held at the Jesuits Cultural Center in Alexandria.
He won a scholarship to study creative documentary film at the Arab Film Institute in Jordan, followed by another scholarship from the National School of Cinema in Denmark in collaboration with SEMAT Foundation to study direction for multiple cameras. He was a member of the viewers’ committee of the Cairo Independent Film Festival.
He coordinates and manages filmmaking programs in a number of places and also supervises The Filmmaking Workshop held at the Jesuits Cultural Center in Alexandria.
