Latest news with #FilmClinic
CairoScene
19 hours ago
- Entertainment
- CairoScene
Amir El-Masry Stars in Venice Critics' Week Closing Film
Amir El-Masry stars in 100 Nights of Hero, directed by Julia Jackman and based on Isabel Greenberg's graphic novel, the closing film of Venice Critics' Week. Jul 30, 2025 Amir El-Masry will star in 100 Nights of Hero, the closing film of this year's Critics' Week at the 82nd Venice International Film Festival, which runs from August 27th to September 9th. The fantasy romance is directed by Julia Jackman and adapted from Isabel Greenberg's graphic novel of the same name. Set in a remote castle, the story unfolds with the arrival of a mysterious guest and follows the characters as events spiral into the surreal. El-Masry plays Jerome, joining a cast that includes Emma Corrin, Maika Monroe, Nick Galitzine, and Richard E. Grant. The role marks another step in El-Masry's expanding international career. He is also set to appear in Giant, where he plays British-Yemeni boxing icon Prince Naseem Hamed. The film traces Hamed's rise from working-class life in Sheffield to international fame, shaped by his partnership with trainer Brendan Ingle. Directed and written by Rowan Athale, Giant features Pierce Brosnan and is produced by Sylvester Stallone. El-Masry recently received critical recognition for In Camera, which screened at the 45th Cairo International Film Festival in the Special Screenings section. The film was also shown internationally at the Karlovy Vary International Film Festival and the BFI London Film Festival. He has wrapped filming a new narrative feature alongside Nelly Karim, directed by Abu Bakr Shawky and produced by Mohamed Hefzy's Film Clinic.
Broadcast Pro
06-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Broadcast Pro
Egyptian action-comedy ‘Darwish' to release in cinemas on July 17
The film is a co-production between One to One, Film Clinic, Vox Studios and Film Square. Egyptian feature film Darwish is set to release in cinemas on July 17, 2025. Directed by Waleed El Halfawy and penned by screenwriter Wissam Sabry, the film offers a blend of action and comedy set against the backdrop of 1940s Cairo. Darwish centres on the life of a cunning con artist who finds himself wrongly accused of murder, triggering a whirlwind of events that catapult him into the public spotlight. As the story unfolds, the character navigates unexpected fame, a rekindled rivalry with a former partner, and the beginnings of a new romantic connection, all while trying to clear his name. The film stars Amr Youssef in the lead role, supported by a notable cast including Dina El Sherbiny, Tara Emad, Mohamed Shahin and Moustafa Gharieb. Together, they bring to life a fast-paced narrative infused with humour, suspense and period charm. Produced through a collaboration between One to One, Film Clinic, Vox Studios and Film Square, Darwish will be released simultaneously across cinemas in the Arab world, marking a significant entry in the region's 2025 film calendar.
Broadcast Pro
23-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Broadcast Pro
Egyptian film ‘Seeking Haven for Mr. Rambo' Trailer nominated for Golden Trailer Awards
The film was inspired by a 2015 incident in Egypt where a viral video of a dog's brutal killing led to four men being jailed. The trailer for Seeking Haven for Mr. Rambo, the debut feature film by Egyptian director Khaled Mansour, has earned a nomination for Best Foreign Teaser at the Golden Trailer Awards — marking the first time an Egyptian trailer has been recognised in this category. Produced by Mohamed Hefzy through Film Clinic and marking Rasha Hosny's debut as a feature film producer, the film's global distribution is managed by Film Clinic Indie Distribution. Seeking Haven for Mr. Rambo has already garnered several awards, including the Visual Identity and DCP Services Award from Creative Media Solutions at the fifth Amman Film Industry Days (AFID) and Amman Project Market. Additionally, it received production grants from the Red Sea Film Fund, the Arab Fund for Arts and Culture (AFAC) and Fonds Image de la Francophoni. Written by Mohamed El-Hosseiny and Khaled Mansour, the drama stars Essam Omar, Rakin Saad, Sama Ibrahim and Ahmed Bahaa. Seeking Haven For Mr. Rambo tells the story of a young man confronting his past fears to save his dog and best friend from an uncertain fate. Hassan is a man in his thirties, living with his mother and Rambo, his dog and best friend, in a poor neighbourhood. He hates having a steady job, but his mother pressures him to keep one so he can assist her with their daily expenses. After his mother threatens to cut off the little money she gives him, he decides to go back to his old job, working for Shiko as a sandwich seller. One night, when Hassan returns home, he gets into a fight with Karem, a neighbour working as a car mechanic. Hassan is hit hard, and in his defence, Rambo rushes down and bites Karem in the crotch. When Karem recovers, he tries to vindicate his lost pride. People of the neighbourhood suggest that Rambo is given to Karem, yet Hassan disagrees to such a deal, finding himself in a tough spot. Assisted by his friend Ahmed, who works in a poor governmental veterinary hospital, and Asmaa, a girl who loves Hassan, the protagonist begins a journey in which he attempts to move Rambo to a safe place within the country. Unfortunately, with Karem's connections within their neighbourhood, Hassan is being watched everywhere he goes. With the help of Jamila, an animal aid activist, Hassan finally succeeds in finding a shelter for his dog outside of the country. This drives Karem mad, and so Hassan and his mother are kicked out of their home, and left with an unknown fate.
The National
05-05-2025
- Business
- The National
What Trump's proposed tariffs could mean for the Arab film industry
US President Donald Trump's announcement that he has authorised a 100 per cent tariff on films made "in foreign lands' has been met with shock and confusion in the Mena film community. Countries that offer tax incentives for international productions such as the UAE, Jordan, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Morocco and Tunisia would be particularly affected by the potential move. For decades, Hollywood projects have been pivotal to the development of their respective local film industries, particularly in terms of investment, infrastructure and talent development. The proposed tariffs could disrupt Hollywood projects already set to film in the region, according to Qais Qandil, the Jordanian founder of The Film Makers, an Emirati production company, which has brought international projects such as The Misfits and Beyond the Likes to the emirates in the past. Qandil tells The National: 'As a producer who has spent years bridging Hollywood and Abu Dhabi, I've seen first-hand how international collaboration strengthens the industry creatively and economically. It may complicate my immediate plans to bring more US projects to the region.' Qandil also notes that Hollywood does not solely choose to film in countries such as the UAE, Jordan and Saudi Arabia because of rebate incentives. Projects such as the Mission: Impossible series, for instance, were able to pull off certain action set pieces thanks to Abu Dhabi's regulatory and logistical capabilities, which are not found in other locations. 'A tariff such as this risks penalising US productions that choose global locations like the UAE not for cost alone, but for world-class infrastructure and cinematic value. It could discourage the very partnerships that have made modern filmmaking thrive,' says Qandil. If Hollywood projects stop filming in the Mena region, it could have a potentially harmful effect on the local creative scene. UAE film professional Kane Rodrigues worked in Abu Dhabi on Dune: Part Two, the upcoming films Now You See Me: Now You Don't and F1, as well as Dubai productions including the Jack Ryan film, which stars John Krasinski, and City of Life 2. If those projects stop coming, it could halt the development of talent from the UAE, he believes. 'As a local sound mixer, getting opportunities to be part of the sound department in major Hollywood studio films means a great deal. UAE's film industry is still evolving, and these are the only opportunities we local crew get to be involved and to grow, as we rarely have locally produced films of this scale,' says Rodrigues. But the Arab film industry at large does not solely rely on Hollywood. Egyptian filmmaker Mohammed Hefzy, founder of the influential pan-regional production company Film Clinic, believes that, apart from Hollywood co-productions, Arab films will largely be unaffected. 'In terms of Arab cinema, the effect would be minimal. There are not many Arab films screened in the US anyway, and American audiences would still see those films on streaming at no extra charge.' Trump's move could also have a ripple effect of retaliatory tariffs that could have an unintended detrimental effect on American movies, Hefzy believes. 'Some European and Asian countries would probably impose counter-tariffs on US films, which would make Hollywood suffer quite a bit,' says Hefzy. The tariff proposition's lack of particulars leaves much uncertainty, especially in the world of streaming – perhaps the most significant current distribution system for bringing Arab films to the world. The US streamer Netflix, for example, distributes and produces several Arab films each year. It's unclear whether those projects would be affected by tariffs as well, how that would be implemented, and if it would harm the growth of Arab film on the world stage. Gianluca Chakra, founder of Front Row Filmed Entertainment, has produced several Netflix original Arab films, including the 2022 Lebanese-Egyptian hit Perfect Strangers and 2025's The Sand Castle. Chakra is concerned that this could affect this business model. 'I'm wondering what would happen to co-productions or streaming originals. How would you measure the value of a so-called non-US production that is streaming in the US in order then to apply its respective tariff or tax?' Chakra wonders. While Chakra understands Trump's concern for the health of Hollywood, which has experienced a marked drop in domestic production in recent years, he doesn't think the US will be able to reverse the trend. And, as on-screen storytelling has become increasingly decentralised, Mena countries should be adding increased incentives for local productions to develop their own self-sustaining industries. 'There is a hunger for those. They're slowly eating away from major studios anyway,' Chakra says. But for filmmakers hoping to gain attention from awards bodies such as the Oscars, US distribution is pivotal. Jordanian filmmaker Razan Takash, head of film at SAE University College Dubai, is concerned that the potential tariffs could affect the ability of foreign films to reach American film festivals, some of which are Oscar qualifiers. Emerging firms such as Watermelon Pictures have made a concerted effort to bring films such as Oscar-nominee Farah Nabulsi's The Teacher to US audiences. The Palestinian-Israeli film No Other Land, too, was theatrically successful despite lacking traditional distribution, in part because of its Oscars boost. And for Arab genre filmmakers, especially those working within the horror and sci-fi spaces, the US is a more supportive market than the Mena region, according to Takash. 'My last sci-fi shorts got distributed mostly in the US, so if they are not going be taking foreign films at the same rate, then that's a big loss for me as a platform,' she adds. Amid a lack of clarity as to how the plan will be enacted and whether it will come to fruition at all, many in the Mena region's film industry are waiting to see what will happen next – and hoping for the best. 'Personally, I believe this tariff is politically driven and unlikely to hold in the long run,' says Qandil.
Broadcast Pro
18-04-2025
- Entertainment
- Broadcast Pro
Shahid streams Egyptian feature film ‘The White Dress'
The film is produced by Film Clinic and The Planet Studios Arabic streaming platform Shahid has premiered The White Dress, a new Egyptian feature film directed by Jailan Auf and led by actresses Yasmin Raeis and Asmaa Galal. Released exclusively on the platform, the film marks Auf's debut and has already drawn praise for its authentic storytelling and portrayals of women's experiences in contemporary Egypt. Produced by Mohamed Hefzy's Film Clinic, The White Dress features Ahmed Khaled Saleh, Salwa Mohamed Ali, Lubna Wanas, Arwa Gouda, Engy Abou El Seoud and Mimi Gamal. The film captures both the energy and intimacy of Cairo, offering viewers a reflection on self-discovery, societal expectations and personal freedom. The story centres around Warda, who finds herself in crisis on the eve of her wedding when a problem arises with her dress. Her urgent quest to find a replacement takes her on an unexpected journey through the city, prompting deeper reflections about her life, identity and future. Balancing drama with lighter moments, the film delves into the emotional and cultural weight of wedding traditions in Egyptian society.
