♣ At the Cairo Opera House Open Air Theatre, the Embassy of Italy in Cairo and the Egyptian Ministry of Tourism in collaboration with the Ministry of Culture organised the closing ceremony of the second edition of the Italian Festival in Egypt, reports Mai Samih. The event lasted for two days and featured many events including music and dance performances, fashion shows, ballet and art exhibitions. Present at the closing ceremony were Italian Ambassador to Egypt Maurizio Massari, who delivered a speech, Osama Ibrahim, attending on behalf of the minister of tourism to receive the award, and Egyptian fashion designer Hani Al-Beheiri. Also awarded was Italian critic Vittorio Sgarbi and Italian photographer and publisher Sandro Vannini. Events featured a performance by soprano Maddalena Calderoni, the Progetto Danza Milano (Milano dance group), the Cairo Opera Ballet Company, Italian flautist Luisa Sello, vocalists Mara Sottocornola, Eleonora Iannotta, Dina Al-Wadidi, Shaimaa Sharaf, Suzan Abu-Hassan, the Yasser Moawad band, Egyptian singer Zohour Nabil, as well as a fashion show by Stefania Gulina's Italian Fashion Academy. “The festival was born last year. The first was in Hurghada… It is important for the relationship between Italy and Egypt; to discover each other not only in a business way but in a cultural way... This is a new way to do business; that is, the business of culture. It is also a chance for Egyptian singers and writers to meet their Italian counterparts. We need to trade the Arabic culture for the Italian culture through this festival,” commented the head of the Italian Festival External Relations Emanuela Chiumeo. ♥ Lebanese singer Nancy Agram and Emirati singer Hussein Al-Jasmi featured in a gigantic concert at the opening of Cairo Festival City. In an elegant silver dress, Agram performed Enta Masri (You're Egyptian) at the end of the concert. Minister of State in the Government of the United Arab Emirates Sultan Ahmed Al-Gaber, Minister of Industry and Foreign Trade Mounir Fakhri Abdel-Nour, Minister of Investment Osama Saleh, Minister of Housing Ibrahim Mehleb, former minister of planning and international cooperation Faiza Abul-Naga and Alexandria Governor Adel-Labib were all present. Among the attendees were also actors Hussein Fahmi, Elham Shahine, Laila Elwi and her husband businessman Mansour Al-Gammal, together with media figure Khairi Ramadan. ♠ Egyptian actor Khaled Al-Nabawi attended the private screening of his recently released international film The Citizen at the Golden Stars Cinema in Heliopolis in the presence of actress Manal Salama and her husband director Adel Adib, the Vice President of the Cairo International Film Festival Soheir Abdel-Qader and a variety of media figures and journalists. The film revolves around an Arab immigrant, specifically Lebanese, who wins the American green card lottery. It is directed by Sam Kadi and features William Atherton, Agnes Bruckner and Rizwan Manji. It has been screened in 14 states in the United States and received the award of best ensemble cast at the Boston International Film Festival. ♣ The College Saint Joseph (Fréres) in Khoronfish will inaugurate its newly established theatre dedicated to its graduate veteran late comedian Naguib Al-Rehani on 14 December, 11am. ♥ The opening of the solo exhibition “The Journey” by eminent artist Mohamed Sabri took place at Al Masar Gallery in the presence of the British Ambassador to Egypt James Watt and his wife Amal Watt as well as Italian Ambassador Maurizio Massari and his wife Mary who were warmly received by the Managing Director of the gallery Walid Abdel-Khalek. Also attending were the media figure Abdel-Latif Al-Manawi as well as art collectors and members of the foreign communities. ♠ The Cairo Opera House presents the newest art production of the Modern Dance Theatre Company for this season entitled Mawlana, which is an adaptation of writer and journalist Ibrahim Eissa's eponymous novel. Presented for three consecutive days at Al-Gomhuriya Theatre, the show, according to the director of the company, choreographer Monadel Antar, is divided into two parts and accompanied by Sufi music. ♣ Appearing in an elegant white wedding gown, the multi-talented actress Boushra was a guest model at the prestigious fashion show held at Fairmont Tours Hotel by celebrated fashion designer Hani Al-Beheiri for 2014 lines. The fashion show gathered together actresses Mervat Amin, Lebleba, Ragaa Al-Geddawi, Nadia Al-Gendi, Dalal Abdel-Aziz, Hala Sedki, Donia Abdel-Aziz, Dolly Shahine, Nermine Al-Fiki, Manal Salama, Meis Hemdan and Maye Selim, belly dancers Fifi Abdu, Lousi, Nagwa Fouad, singer Samira Said and media figure Soheir Shalabi. ♥ Under the auspices of Minister of Culture Saber Arab, an honorary ceremony was held for the writer Mahfouz Abdel-Rahman, organised by the Egyptian Writers and Critics Association at a prestigious hotel in Cairo. The ceremony included screening a documentary on the career of Abdel-Rahman such as the famous TV series Bawabet Al-Halawani (Gate of Halawani) and Umm Kolthoum as well as films such as Nasser 56 and Halim. The Secretary-General of the Supreme Council of Culture Saad Tawfik, actors Rashwan Tawfik, Samiha Ayoub, Samira Abdel-Aziz, Mohamed Wafik, Laila Elwi, director Enaam Mohamed Ali, singer Iman Al-Bahr Darwish, musician Hani Mehanna, directors Hosni Saleh, Magdi Abu Emeira and Abdel-Ghani Dawoud all attended.
