The world premier of feature-length drama Poisonous Roses, written and directed by Ahmed Fawzi Saleh, will be held at the 47th International Film Festival Rotterdam (IFFR), set to take place between 24 January and 4 February. The film will be screened within the festival's Bright Future section, which focuses on showcasing young, emerging film talent. Starring Mahmoud Hemida and Merihan Magdi, Poisonous Roses centres on the life of Saqr, who "dreams of a life beyond his tannery job in the slums, but his love for the sister he would be forced to leave behind keeps him tied there." Born in 1981, Saleh is a screenwriter, filmmaker and human rights activist, and a graduate from the Cairo Film Institute's screenwriting department. His experience in film includes the co-writing of several documentary films and the directing of short film Mocha (2006). In 2008, he was an assistant director to Palestinian filmmaker Rashid Masharawi. Poisonous Roses is the first feature film that Saleh has both written and directed. The Bright Future Main Programme includes 48 feature-length films from new directors. Those films getting their world or international premier in Rotterdam are eligible for the Bright Future Award, worth €10,000. "The 48 feature films offer a wide variety of subject matter and origin, seen through the eyes of daring filmmakers with a fresh, clear style and vision," reads the IFFR website. 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
