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Egypt's culture picks of the week 27 April - 4 May: VIDEOS This week is particularly rich in events, from music and dance to film screenings as well as the opening of several new exhibitions
Sunday 27 April Screenings of short films at Malak Gabr Arts Theatre at 5pm Screenings are part of the four day 'Post-2011 Cinema in Egypt: Challenges and Opportunities' conference held by the American University in Cairo (AUC), across its venues. The evening will include screenings of a selection of films by young Egyptian filmmakers (starting 5pm) followed by the screening of a selection of the first films of veteran Egyptian filmmakers (starting at 6.30pm) AUC New Cairo, Fifth Settlement, Cairo The Prophet screenings at Zawya at 6:30pm and 9:30pm Apart from its regular programming as an alternative art house cinema in downtown Cairo, Zawya will be hosting special screenings on Sunday evenings of documentaries, shorts, classics and feature films. The first of these Sunday Screenings will host The Prophet, a 2011 documentary by Gary Tarn based on Khalil Gibran's classic novel. Cinema Odeon, Abdel Al-Hamid Said Street, off Talaat Harb Street, Cairo Piano and cello recital at the Cairo Opera at 8pm Siblings Mirette Hanna on piano and Shady Hanna on cello will perform together at Cairo Opera's small hall. Twenty three year old, Mirette Hanna is a winner of the Absolute First Prize at the 2013 Roma International Piano Competition. Educated in Cairo, France and Switzerland, Mirette Hannawas born into a family of artists; older brother and cellist Shady Hanna with whom she will perform is educated in Egypt and France. Read more about Mirette Hannahere. Listen to the duo performing together below. Small Hall, Cairo Opera House, Zamalek, Cairo Guitar, cello and piano recital at the Arabic Music Institute at 8pm Three Egyptian musicians will grace the stage of the Arabic Music Institute. Emad Hamdy will perform on guitar, followed by Ashraf Sharara on cello and Eman Samy on piano. The recital is part of the International Music Centre's (IMC) monthly activities, a dynamic music institution of which Egyptian, internationally renowned pianist Ramzi Yassa is artistic director. Since its founding in 2002, the IMC has presented numerous world class pianists as well as provided a platform for Egyptian musicians. In its current season the IMC has already held many evenings, mostly with established Egyptian musicians. Read morehere 22 Ramses Street, Downtown, Cairo Gotcha Play at Greek Campus at 8pm Directed by Ahmed El-Alfy, Gotcha explores the Egyptian education system through the story of a young schoolboy who takes three teachers hostage; turning the tables on them by shifting the power structure and humiliating them as they do the students. This is El-Alfy Theatre Company's first performance in Egypt after several shows in London. The play is adapted into Arabic and the Egyptian context from a British play by Barrie Keeffe. The play will be performed on several nights this week and next week. American University in Cairo Greek Campus, Mohamed Mahmoud Street, Downtown, Cairo Also on this day: - Opening of Autism Art Exhibition at Cairo Opera at 6pm. Read Monday 28 April listings for more details Monday 28 April Autism Art Exhibition at Cairo Opera The Tenth Creative Art Exhibition for Autism will take place Sunday 27 April at the Zyad Bakir Hall, Cairo Opera House. The exhibition, titled "Symbols", has been organized by the Egyptian Society for Developing Skills of Children with Special Needs (ADVANCE), a non-profit organization that seeks to help provide for the needs of persons with autism and other disabilities. Coinciding with Autism Awareness Month, the show will mark the tenth autism art exhibition. The exhibition opened on 27 April and runs until 3 May. Zyad Bakir Hall, Cairo Opera House, Zamalek, Cairo Publication Launch and Nile Sunset Annex Collection exhibition at Nile Sunset Annex at 7pm Artist run space Nile Sunset Annex will celebrate the launch of its online archive of posters and other printed material that they have collected covering contemporary arts exhibition in Egypt over the years. The ongoing archive compiles hundreds of scans in chronological order. This is also the last chance to view the exhibition of the Nile Sunset Annex Collection. Flat 17, 4th Floor, 1071 Corniche El Nile, Garden City, Cairo Contemporary Dance at Falaki Theatreat 8pm The evening will include performance by Mamela Nyamza from South Africa. Nyamza has performed in major international musicals, festivals and tours, as well as developing her own award-winning choreography that has been shown in the US, Europe and throughout Africa. One of South Africa's most respected choreographers, she received the Standard Bank Young Artist Award in Dance in 2011. The event is part of Culture Resource's Spring Festival and has is free admission. Check the Spring Festival complete programmehere. 24 El-Falaki Street, Bab El-Louk (Downtown) Screening of 'A Separation' at Vent at 8.30pm The award-winning Iranian film, A Separation by Asghar Farhadi, explores Iran's social contradictions through a domestic drama, revolving around a broken marriage. The film won the Berlinale Golden Bear and Oscar for best foreign film. 6 Kasr El-Nil Street, Downtown, Cairo ## Tuesday 29 April Last day of screening of Giraffada screening in Zawya Yacine is the veterinarian for the only remaining zoo in the Palestinian West Bank. He lives alone with his 10-year-old son, Ziad. The child has a special bond with the two giraffes at the zoo. He seems to be the only one able to communicate with them. After an air raid on the region the male giraffe dies. His mate, Rita, won't survive unless the veterinarian finds her a new companion. The only zoo that might provide this animal is located in Tel Aviv. The film is directed by Rani Massalha and stars Saleh Bakri, SalehBakri, Roschdy Zem, Ahmad Bayatra, Mohamad Bakri, Laure de Clermont. Read our reviewhere.Screenings take place at 3.30pm, 6.30pm and 9.30pm at Odeon Cinema 4 Abdel-Hamid Said Street, off Talaat Harb Street, downtown, Cairo Conversation between artists Adel El Siwi and Mahmoud Khaled at Gypusm Gallery, at 7pm Gypsum Gallery is hosting a public conversation between renowned visual artist Adel El Siwi and Alexandria-based contemporary artist Mahmoud Khaled, in parallel to Khaled's exhibition, "Painter on a Study Trip", which runs at the art space until 6 May. In his solo show, the artist presents works in photography, sculpture, painting, text, video and installation. The collection was triggered by Khaled's encounter with an 19th Century painting from the collection of the Alexandria's Museum of Fine Arts. The piece yielded a series of questions and reflections by the artist on the relationship between his education as a painter at the Academy of Fine Arts in Alexandria and the language of contemporary art. 5A Bahgat Ali Street, Zamalek, Cairo Screening of Villa 69 at Cinema El-Fourn at 7.30pm Ayten Amin's first feature film, Villa 69, is produced by Mohamed Hefzi, and co-producer by Khaled Abu El Naga who also stars in the movie. Villa 69, formerly called "69 Mesaha Sqaure," is nostalgic film infused with a youthful spirit. Within the confines of a beautiful, dusty villa in a quiet neighbourhood, the viewer feels transported to an older version of Cairo or one that is hidden in the cracks of bustling contemporary Cairo. Read the film reviewhere. Watch the trailer below. Darb 1718: Al-Shamee Street, Fustat, Old Cairo Wednesday 30 April Screening of 'Agora' on the premises of the Culture Ministry at 6pm A 2009 movie titled 'Agora' is a historical drama set in Roman Egypt. An initiative within the Foreign Cultural relations offices operating under the Ministry of Culture will be screening the film. Watch the trailer below. 11 Shagaret ElDorr Street, Zamalek, Cairo The Sound of Stories at Rawabet Theatre at 7pm Egyptian independent online news and analysis site Mada Masr presents a panel discussion and sound performances on several topics revolving around sound: Arab music history, radio and the right to broadcast, music archive and copyright, the internet as a platform for sound dissemination and sound as a first draft of journalism. The panel includes Abdel Rahman Hussein, journalist and founder ofdandin.me, Ahmed Kamal, founder of Gamafone online radio, Mustafa Said, musician and director of Arab Music Archiving and Research Foundation. The panel will be moderated by electronic musician and founder of 100copies Mahmoud Refat. 3 Hussein Al-Maamar Street, off Mahmoud Bassiouny Street, Talaat Harb, downtown, Cairo. Silenced exhibition at Safarkhan Art Gallery at 6.30pm Emerging artist Mohamed Monaiseer holds his first solo exhibition at the Safarkhan Art Gallery until 21 May. Monaiseer presents a series of artworks submerged in almost illegible calligraphy, penned on natural fabrics in mixed media, including ink and chemicals. "What he has created is calligraphy that cannot be decoded, leading to a paradox, for what you see are words, but words that cannot be read or decrypted. Therefore, they can only be taken in through one's soul rather than one's mental concept in order to experience the essence of this project," reads the curatorial statement. The exhibition runs until 21 May. 6 Brazil Street, Zamalek, Cairo Thursday 1 May Violin and guitar recital at the Cairo Opera at 8pm Since 2003, ongoing collaboration between violinist Hassan Sharara and guitarist Emad Hamdy has resulted in a multitude of chamber concerts and recitals at numerous artistic venues in Cairo and Alexandria. The duo began by performing Latin and Spanish music and has since expanded its repertoire.Today, Sharara and Hamdy perform works bySarasate, Piazzolla, Granados, De Falla and many other composers, along with selections of well-known light music. Listen to La Cumparsita performed by the duo, below. Small Hall, Cairo Opera House, Zamalek, Cairo Sabhan Adam and Hossam Dirar: Beauty and the Beast at ArtTalks ArtTalks hosts an exhibition featuring works by Syrian-born artist Sabhan Adam (1973) and Egyptian-born artist Hossam Dirar (1978), who take on universal notions of beauty and ugliness through portraiture. "Each artist presents his perception of individuality by seeking to bring out whatever is common with the rest of humanity. For Sabhan Adam, it is ugly. For Hossam Dirar, it is beauty," reads the curatorial statement. The exhibition runs until 5 May 8 Al-Kamel Mohamed Street, Zamalek, Cairo Friday 2 May Screening of South African film ‘Tsotsi' in Artellewa at 6pm Artellewa will be screening South African film Tsotsi as the last title in the selection of African films the art space screened throughout April. The film, directed by Gavin Hood, won the Oscar for Best Foreign Language Film in 2006.The story is set in a Johannesburg slum, where a teenage thug called Tsotsi steals a car, and finds a baby in the backseat. The incident starts a whirlwind of events that unfold over six days in the life of the young gangster. 19 Mohamed Ali El Eseary Street Sharmoofers First live concert at Azhar Park at 6pm Egyptian reggae band Sharmoofers have enjoyed an enormous online success with more than 500,000 likes on their Facebook page and 87,000 subscribers on their youtube channels. However, they have never played a live show before a few weeks ago to a selected audience on the Bassem Youssef Show. This Friday, Sharmoofers bring their positive energy and good vibes to Azhar Park for a guaranteed high quality show. Sharmoofers is made up of Ahmed Bahaa, Ezz Shahwan and Moe El-Arkan. Watch Sharmoofer's video clip below Salah Salem Road, El-Darassa, Cairo Concert by Turab from Palestine at El Genaina Theatre at at 8pm (Red Zone Festival) Turab was established in 2004 by a group of young Palestinian musicians from diverse backgrounds seeking to develop a contemporary Palestinian musical tradition. Founder of the group Basel Zayed and the other artists of Turab search constantly for distinctive lyrics and music that express the daily concerns and dreams of the average individual. Turab has release d three albums since 2006, and is currently working on a new release. The event is part of Culture Resource's Spring Festival. Check the Spring Festival complete programmehere Azhar Park, Salah Salem Road, Darassa Saturday 3 May Spoken Worldat Falaki Theatre at 8pm Spoken World: Spoken word street artist Aly Talibab (Egypt), multimedia artist Ghazi Frini (Tunisia), Tarek Abu Kwaik (Jordan/Palestine) and poet and rapper Mazen El-Sayed (Lebanon) present an evening of new original poems, sounds and visuals developed together for the festival. The event is part of Culture Resource's Spring Festival. Check the Spring Festival complete programmehere. The event will be repeated on Sunday 4 May 24 El-Falaki Street, Bab El-Louk (Downtown) Music for a Cause at AUC New Cairo at 5pm Music for a Cause's line up this year includes indie bands Salalem, Maryam Saleh, Raseef El-Abkaria and Malaleem Band. This annual concert is created to raise awareness towards the rights of persons with disabilities in Egypt. All profits of the event will be used by Helm NGO to train and employ persons with disabilities in Egypt. AUC Campus, New Cairo Opening of exhibition “Once… a beautiful Egypt” at Zamalek Art Gallery at 7pm The exhibition features works by Amina El-Demirdash, an emerging Egyptian painter, born in 1986. In her artwork, El-Demirdash often reaches to themes representing the Egyptian villages, towns and landscapes. The exhibition will run until 14 May. 11 Brazil Street, Zamalek, Cairo Alan Bishop and Sam Shalabi at 100copies Music Space at 8pm Alan Bishop, of Invisible Hands, Alvarius B, Sun City Girls, is set to play alto saxophone, alongside Sam Shalabi, of Land of Kish and Shalabi Effect, on electric guitar are set to perform a collaboration at 100 copies. 22 Talaat Harb Street, Downtown, Cairo ## Sunday 4 May Spoken Worldat Falaki Theatre at 8pm Spoken World: Spoken word street artist Aly Talibab (Egypt), multimedia artist Ghazi Frini (Tunisia), Tarek Abu Kwaik (Jordan/Palestine) and poet and rapper Mazen El-Sayed (Lebanon) present an evening of new original poems, sounds and visuals developed together for the festival. The event is part of Culture Resource's Spring Festival. Check the Spring Festival complete programmehere. The event will be repeated on Sunday 4 May 24 El-Falaki Street, Bab El-Louk (Downtown) Toys: Hany Rashed at Mashrabia Hany Rashed presents his latest collection of artworks in what will be his ninth solo exhibit at the Mashrabia Gallery downtown. In Toys, the artist tackles the assumption that human beings in contemporary society exist with a freedom that is limited by constraints, and therefore resemble toys. Rashed presents a world of plastic objects in this exhibition, paradoxically responding to contemporary reality through creating inanimate toys. The exhibition runs until 15 May. 8 Champollion Street, Downtown, Cairo ## Also on this day: - Gotcha Play at Greek Campus at8pm(SeeSunday 27 Aprilfor details) http://english.ahram.org.eg/News/99864.aspx
