Juries Price of the Presidency (OFA)
Award of the Presidency of the Arab Women’s Organisation
The president of the Arab Women’s Organisation, Mrs. Leila Ben Ali, wife of the President of the Republic, has decided to grant an award to the best film supporting the cause of women. A special section has thus been created. This prize coincides with the third Congress of the Arab Women’s Organisation.
AWO logo appears on the pages of the films that are competing for the AWO Presidency award.
- President : Dr. KHALED ABDEL GELIL
President of the Egyptian Centre for Cinema (Egypte)
- Professor and Department Head of Scriptwriting at the Academy of Arts
- Professor in Scriptwriting at the International Academy of Science and Media, Cité des Medias
- Secretary General for the Egyptian High Committee of Festivals
- Member of the Film Producers’ Chamber
- Member of the Cinema Committee, High Council for Culture.
- Jury member for many national and international festivals
- Published a number of studies on Egyptian cinema
- Dr. VIOLA SHAFIK
Chercheur et réalisatrice (Egypte)
Viola Shafik, PhD., is a filmmaker, film curator and film scholar. She is the author of «Arab Cinema: History and Cultural Identity» (1998 & 2007) and «Popular Egyptian Cinema : Gender, Class and Nation», 2007. She lectured at the American University in Cairo, She directed experimental short films and documentaries. Her current work in progress is «My Name is not Ali».
- Mme DIMA EL JOUNDI
Réalisatrice et productrice (Liban)
Graduated with honours from INSAS, Brussels, in screenwriting and editing, she directs several documentaries. She distributes more than fifteen films in the Near East. Since 2010 she is a Senior Audiovisual Expert for the Evaluation of the Euromed II programme for the European Union.
- Mme YASMINE KASSARI
Réalisatrice (Maroc)
Yasmine Kassari, Belgian-Moroccan graduate of INSAS in Brussels, has written and directed many short films. In 2000, she shot «Lynda et Nadia» and a documentary, «Quand les hommes pleurent». «L’Enfant endormi» was awarded the Trophée of premier scénario Jeunes Talents CNC/Paris in 2003.
- M. MOURAD BEN CHEIKH
Réalisateur (Tunisie)
Mourad studied cinema in Italy and worked as AD for theatre and cinema. His short film «Pâtre des Etoiles», is freely inspired from Al Maarri and Douagi ; a film about the rupture of dialogue in a couple.
HOMMAGE DE LA PRESIDENCE DE L’OFA A ATEYYAT EL ABNOUDY
Born in 1939 in Egypt in a village on the Nile delta, Ateyyat el Abnoudy studied law at the University of Cairo. Nothing predetermined a career in film. She makes an attempt at theatre, then studies film at Cairo’s Higher Film Institute. She has immediate success with her first short film, «Cheval de boue» in 1971. She has received more than thirty awards. She then leaves for London to pursue studies in cinema.
So far, El Abnoudy has directed more than twenty-nine documentaries. A pioneer, faithful to the genre, she has never been tempted by fiction. Throughout Egypt, she has filmed bare reality. Her favorite topic is the observation of rural life. Through her films, she becomes the spokeswoman for humble people, poor, but rich with optimism and humanity (Sad Song of Touha, 1972). Her point of view, while realistic, is imbued with poetry. Her camera is always close to the people she films. She observes and questions, without ever judging. It is, without a doubt, due to the quality of her work that UNICEF and UNESCO have often given her their support.
Women feature in a large part of her work. Yet, she cries out loud to those who will listen that she doesn’t make “films about women because she is one, but because she films life and they are part of it”. Often, she portrays women united, capable of shaping their destinies. (Rawya, 1995)
During this 23rd session, Ateyyat al Abnoudy will be meeting film-students. During the tribute paid to her, several films will be shown at universities around Tunis.
ORGANISATION DE LA FEMME ARABE : TABLE RONDE
October 27th, 2010 at 3:30 pm : Salle de l'hôtel Africa
Women in Arab cinema : images and roles.
