CAIRO – Day in and day out, there has been news about various troubled productions for the soap operas airing during the holy month of Ramadan. From “Khatem Suliman”, “Shari' Abd Al-Aziz”, to “Ihna al-Talaba”, these were shows that were threatened with being shut down completely due to the producers not paying the actors and crew their pay. Not to mention the scandal of the comedic series “Shubra TV”, whose producer sold the show incomplete after promising to be done on time, then fled with the money, and the show was shut down after only nine episodes. Regardless of the viewership of these shows, or how much revenue they bring in, producers seem to have deep financial problems in general, especially when it comes to paying the employees (actors and crew). Basically, we all know that at the end of the day, the film industry is a business like any other, where the primary goal is to make money. Any departure from this approach is a study in risk; a film that "bombs" primarily means that loses money. That's why it seems that only films which go to big studios these days are sequels or movies about comic book heroes, or remakes of old, classic movies, as well as old TV shows that were turned into movies. Most of today's cinematic projects in American and Egyptian film industries will be decided by Wall Street and the finances of the country. It's clear that post-revolution, these producers are being more frugal than ever. But what's great about films at least potentially is that they don't necessary need to be tied down to what financial trouble is country is going through. What American filmmakers are better at than Egyptians is that they have figured out ways to deal with the money issue in a more efficient way, such as fundraising, looking for investors, etc. This isn't to to say that these ways come easily, but sometimes that's the only way to make a film happen. But what is make truly difficult is to actually find people who are eager enough to invest, or even participate in something that raises money for the arts, specifically cinema. It's of course not true to say that in the US people are handing out money left and right to support the arts, but on the other hand, there is a better chance to find them, and the appreciation for the art is much higher than it is in Egypt. Considering the aforementioned soap opera producers who themselves are in show business, yet are so reluctant to do these things, and are even willing to have show go to ruins (regardless of how good the show really is ) based on funds; not because they didn't feet the show was profitable or they didn't have the means. But what troubles the film business in Egypt and everywhere else is really when the financial issue intrudes too far, and forces the entire project to be approached from a purely money-making/ business point of view. Yes, everyone knows it is business like everything else, but you're selling a product as well. Bad products share the common trait of being bad, whether it's a poorly constructed building, or a shoddily made film. Here, you're in the business of culture; in a way, you have a responsibility, as with every piece of work that is done, it gets incorporated into the culture. Unfortunately, it is doubtful that many people who are already well-established in the business are looking for alternative ways to make their films, whether they are producers, directors, or even writers. It will mostly be up to emerging filmmakers who have just recently become known, or are still unknown, to change and seek alternative ways to make their films. Films like “Heliopolis” (2009) or “Microphone” (2010), both directed by Ahmed Abdullah, were made with close to no production, even though it's true that the films were produced by Mohamed Hefazy's film clinic. Although the films may not have achieved box office success, they gained great critical acclaim, and introduced Egyptian audiences to a new breed of films that don't depend on big flashy stars or badly choreographed action sequences. For the most part, the usual extent of special effects in Egyptian cinema is their stars, who due to the lack of decent writing, sometimes have trouble giving the finest performance. What the film industry actually needs is much better care from the Ministry of Culture, whether the minster will be changed later or will stay the same, they need to create a concise plan for the film industry to move along for the better as well as setting up better and bigger cultural events. By this, I don't mean a festival such as the Cairo Film Festival, which under its previous management was only concerned with having a good party and enough alcohol to entertain the foreign guests. They need to have funds for different types of films – both independent and big budget – and be able to have a certain number of films a year be produced. The industry can also not simply rely on the country's bank account or whatever there is left of it, but should have Egyptian people involved in these processes: the ones who actually go to see the movies.
