Mohamed Diab's Clash has been selected to represent Egypt at the 2017 Academy Awards in the Best Foreign Language Film category, according to a Thursday press release by MAD solutions, a local film marketing and PR company. MAD Solutions quoted Egyptian producer Mohamed Hefzy's post on his official Facebook page as saying: "Being selected is a good start and I hope that the film reaches the final official film selections at the Oscars." Co-writer Khaled Diab posted on his official Facebook page, "Thank God Clash was selected to represent Egypt at the 2017 Academy Awards in the Best Foreign Language Film category. Your prayers are needed for the film to be officially selected by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences in the Best Foreign Language Film category." Produced in 2016, the film, directed by Mohamed Diab and written by Mohamed and Khaled Diab, explores the confrontations between pro and anti-Muslim Brotherhood demonstrators that emerged following the ouster of president Mohamed Morsi from power on 3 July 2013. The film was chosen to open the 69th Cannes Festival in the Un Certain Regard section. The film was released in Egyptian cinemas in July. In his review for Ahram Online, Adham Youssef writes: "The film opens in a theatrical manner, where we see the police truck empty and ready to host the actors. From having two journalists, several military supporters, Islamist protesters, and a police conscript, the Diab brothers provide us with their version of violent events that preceded the removal of Islamist President Mohamed Morsi from power in 2013, bringing to the surface of the film a humanitarian aspect to a conflict that is now six years old. "Starring Nelly Karim, alongside Tarek Abd El-Aziz, Hany Adel, Ahmed Malek, Ashraf Hamdi, Mohamed Abdel Azim, and Gamil Barsoum, as well as others, casting has stood one of the pillars that will distinguish the film in the coming years. The characters are well studied and their limits, fears, and hopes can easily be extracted and delivered to the viewers. Out of the twenty characters, some gave an astonishing performance, propping the realism in the film." Diab has written the scripts of several well-known Egyptian films, including El-Gezira 1 and 2 (2007 and 2014) and Decor (2014), among others. His directorial debut came with Cairo 678 (2010), starring Bushra, Nelly Karim and Maged El-Kedwany. For more arts and culture news and updates, follow Ahram Online Arts and Culture on Twitter at @AhramOnlineArts and on Facebook at Ahram Online: Arts & Culture
