Canadian Premiere
In Cairo, a lonesome, impoverished elderly property guard whose name no one seems to remember (played by the distinguished Sayed Ragab) spends his days enjoying old-fashioned Egyptian hits on the radio, caring for stray cats and dogs, and watching over the same run-down villa he has been tending to for the past forty years, even though its affluent owners have vacated long ago. His peaceful, orderly little world is turned upside down when an opportunistic parking attendant newly released from prison, Nasr (Ahmed Khaled Saleh, in turns brutal and vulnerable) bullies his way into occupying the property– drawing our nameless protagonist’s fears and sorrows to the surface. With no recourse to seek help from the police, the old guard and his feisty daughter Yara (Nahed El Sebaï) take matters into their own hands. Anchored to the villa’s decaying splendor with a compellingly classical play-like story structure, this sixth feature from acclaimed writer-director Ahmad Abdalla (Décor) provides a keen reflection on class issues, fear, and isolation in modern Egypt.
Best Arab Film, Cinematography, International Critics’ Prize, Cairo Film Festival 2022
Community Partner
Sayed Ragab, Ahmed Khaled Saleh and Nahed El Sebai, Fadwa Abed, Magdy Atwan, Maher Khamis
Egypt
2022
Panorama
In Arabic with English subtitles
Book Tickets
Indigenous & Community Access
Indigenous Access Tickets Community Access Tickets Ticket Donation Requests
Credits
Executive Producer
Yara Goubran
Screenwriter
Ahmad Abdalla
Cinematography
Mustafa El Kashef
Editor
Sara Abdallah
Original Music
Youssef Sadek
Director
Ahmad Abdalla
Ahmad Abdalla is a critically acclaimed and award-winning Egyptian filmmaker. He directed his first feature film, Heliopolis in 2009, followed by the award-winning film, Microphone, which was selected at the Dubai International Film Festival (DIFF) as one of the best 100 Arabic films in history, and toured several film festivals around the world, reaping more than 20 international awards. His film EXT/Night won the Best Film Award at the Malmo Arab Film Festival (MAFF), the Jury Award at the Luxor International Film Festival, alongside four other awards at the Egyptian National Film Festival. Abdalla was also selected as a jury member in a number of prestigious film festivals including the Carthage Film Festival in 2012, BFI London Film Festival in 2014, and Dubai International Film Festival in 2017.
Filmography: Heliopolis (2009); Microphone (2010); Rags and Tatters (2013); Décor (2014); Leil Khargi (2018)
Missing VIFF? Check out what's playing at the VIFF Centre
Magnolia
This deeply personal 1999 California opus is ripe for rediscovery. Mapping the emotional traumas of half-a-dozen major characters as they crisscross the San Fernando Valley in search of either recognition or reconciliation, it's PTA's riskiest gamble.
But I'm a Cheerleader
Megan (Natasha Lyonne) is the perfect All-American Girl, or so she thinks. That is until she’s shipped off to conversion therapy. This pitch black comedy is wrapped in a saccharine bow, featuring the icon herself, RuPaul, as a conversion counsellor.
Franz
Veteran Polish filmmaker Agnieszka Holland takes the bull by the horns to craft a Kafka biopic that's Kafkaesque and then some, artfully layering scenes from Kafka's life and works along with ironic present-day footage for a truly surreal counterpoint.