Fatat El-Masna3 or Factory Girl, directed by veteran Egyptian director Mohamed Khan, is scheduled to make its national debut at the LuxorEgyptian & European Film Festival, which runs from 19 to 25 January this year Mohamed Khan's highly anticipated feature Factory Girl will make its Egyptian premiere at the second edition of the LuxorEgyptian & European Film Festival, which will open on 19 January and run for a week. Factory Girl made its world debut in December at the Dubai International Film Festival, one of the most highly anticipated film events in the region. Nine Egyptian films were screened. However, it was Khan's film that made the biggest splash, picking up two awards – the Muhr Arab Feature Best Actress Award, handed out to Factory Girl's star, Yasmine Raess, as well as the coveted FEPRESCI (International Federation of Film Critics) Best Arab Feature award. Mohamed Khan is one of the most prominent figures in contemporary Egyptian cinema. Three of his films — El-Harreef (The Street Player, 1984), Zawgat Ragol Mohem (The Wife of an Important Man, 1987) and Ahlam Hind wa Camilia (Dreams of Hind and Camilia, 1988)—were named among the "100 Greatest Arab Films" by the Dubai International Film Festival. Mohamed Khan's Factory Girl was written by his wife Wessam Soliman, and produced by film editor Mohamed Samir. The film marks the director's return after a long hiatus following his 2007 drama, Fi Shaqqet Masr El-Gedeeda (In the Heliopolis Flat). The film tells the story of one year in the life of Hiyam (played by Yasmine Raees), a young woman working in a clothing factory who falls in love with her supervisor. At the heart of the tale is a bigger issue, though: women who search for independence while being caught in the throes of a repressive society. This will be the second edition of the LuxorEgyptian & European Film Festival, organized by the Noon Foundation for Culture and Arts (NOONCA) in cooperation with the Egyptian Ministry of Culture and an assortment of Egyptian and European organizations. The festival, which will feature 62 films from 19 European countries as well as Egypt, aims to introduce European cinema to Upper Egypt while also promoting Egyptian movies along the southern Nile, a place where cinema has struggled due to the more recent disappearance of movie theatres. More information can be found on the festival'swebsite. http://english.ahram.org.eg/News/91562.aspx
