The Egyptian-German documentary Dream Away is set to take part in the Final Cut workshop programme of the Venice Film Festival, held from 3 to 5 September in Italy. The workshop aims to assist in the completion of Arab and African films that are still in the production phase by exposing producers and directors to international film professionals, distributors, and potential partners. At the end of the workshop, financial prizes are awarded as a means to support the films in their post-production phase. This year a new prize of 5,000 euros will be awarded for the best film in post-production. For this edition, six films have been selected to benefit from the three days of activities, screenings, meetings and other networking events. Dream Away is co-directed by Marouan Omara from Egypt and Johanna Domke from Germany, who previously worked together on the documentary Crop. Dream Away follows the struggle of rural youth from modest backgrounds working in the tourist industry in the Egyptian resort city Sharm El-Sheikh. In this Westernised environment, some seem to find the values of freedom and independence to which they have aspired since the 2011 Revolution, while others seem to equate vacationers' behaviours with sin. To all of them, life in Sharm El-Sheikh is balanced between ancient, deeply-rooted traditions and the Western model of consumption, independence and sexual freedom. The film is Omara's first feature-length documentary. After studying filmmaking at the Art and Technology of Cinema Academy, he went on to direct several short and mid-length films and documentaries. The filmmaker's latest work, the mid-length documentary One Plus One Makes a Pharaoh's Chocolate, was screened as part of 67th Berlinale Forum Expanded. Domke is a video artist who since 2002 has exhibited her work in France, Denmark and Germany, among other countries. She won the Award of the International Video Art Forum in Hamburg in 2006. Dream Away is co-produced by German company Monokel, an independent development studio for film, game and transmedia narratives, and the Alexandria-based Fig Leaf Studios. Fig Leaf Studios aims to provide a meeting space and expression platform for activist and independent film and media makers of all kinds. The fifth edition of Final Cut is organised by the Venice Production Bridge in collaboration with a number of international institutions, including, for the first time, El-Gouna Film Festival. 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
