A replica of the tomb of Tutankhamun XI (BC 1333-1323) drew a large audience at the Egyptian Art Academy in Rome, where Minister of Culture Gaber Asfour inaugurated the exhibition in the presence of an Italian presidential advisor, Egyptian Ambassador to Rome Amr Helmi and academy director Gihan Zaki. “For the benefit of those who have been unable to see the originals at the Egyptian Museum in Cairo, copies of 22 findings are on display, authenticated by the Egyptian Ministry of Antiquities before they were bought by the academy,'' said Zaki. ‘'The exhibition is open until the end of December. It is a way to be of service to the Italian public, an instrument of knowledge enabling people travel without leaving their city.'' In his inaugural speech, Asfour called on Italian intellectuals to support Egypt in its fight against terrorism. Emirati Ambassador to Egypt Mohamed bin Nakhira Al-Dhaheri gave a reception to celebrate the 43rd Emirati National Day. Stressing the UAE's strong relations with Egypt, he said he was pleased to see stability returning under President Abdel-Fattah Al-Sisi. Present were Prime Minister Ibrahim Mehleb, former secretary-general of the Arab League Amr Moussa, former prime minister Kamal Al-Ganzouri, Major-General Mohamed Al-Assar, former foreign minister Ahmed Al-Orabi, actors Mahmoud Abdel-Aziz, Nabila Ebeid, Hala Sidki, Laila Elwi, Samir Sabri, Ahmed Abdel-Wareth, Hanan Mutawei and Nelly, musician Omar Khairat, singers Mustafa Qamar and Shaza as well as members of the Emirati embassy. Under the auspices of Her Highness Sheikha Jawaher bint Mohamed Al- Qasimi, the wife of the Ruler of Sharjah in the UAE and chairperson of the Supreme Council for Family Affairs, the Middle East Theatre Academy (META) announced the launch of “Home Grown”, an intensive theatre training programme in partnership with the Kevin Spacey Foundation intended to uncover young talent from up to 17 countries across the region. It will take place at the Sharjah Institute for Theatrical Arts in the period 10-27 January 2015, with the opening performance on 25 January. Kevin Spacey in person will give expert classes and observe rehearsals. According to Spacey, “I believe that if you have been lucky enough to do well in the business you want to do well in, then it is your obligation to send the elevator back down. That's why we are working with the Middle East Theatre Academy which we launched in partnership with Badr Jafar a few years ago and are excited about presenting “Home Grown”, the first venture between the Academy and my foundation.” For his part Badr Jafar, co-founder of the Middle East Theatre Academy, said, “the arts have always been an essential pillar of world civilizations, and the aim of this philanthropic initiative is to cultivate artistic spirit from the myriad of talented young men and women across the region.” Applicants, aged 18-25, should apply online through the Middle East Theatre Academy website www.middleeasttheatre.org. There will be online auditions, followed by personal auditions to select the first group of participants. In collaboration with the Face to Face Foundation, the Alexandria Rotary Club Sunrise organised a charity event for the benefit of dialysis equipment for the Abu Qir and Ras Al-Tin hospitals in Alexandria. The ceremony opened with the screening of a documentary on the accomplishments of Alexandria Rotary Club followed by a speech by the founder of the Face to Face Foundation Youssef Spahi. It featured a fashion show by Samah Haroun and a singing performance by Star Academy singer Nesma Mahgoub. Present were actors Hussein Fahmi and Samir Sabri as well as the 2014 Miss Egypt Lara Debana. Under the auspices of the Minister of Culture Gaber Asfour, the 18th Egyptian National Film Festival (5-12 December), headed by director Samir Seif and organised by the Cultural Development Fund (CDF), opened with Salah Abu Seif's 1981 Al-Qadesiyya at the Cairo Opera House last Friday. At the end of the ceremony, Seif and Asfour handed out CDF shields to critic Youssef Sherif Rizkallah, director Raafat Al-Mihi, received by his wife scriptwriter Ola Ezzeddin, documentary filmmaker Fouad Al-Tohami, actor Samir Sabri and the name of the late actress Maali Zayed. Dedicated to the recently deceased singer-actress Sabah, this round features 24 films produced in 2012-13, including Mohamed Khan's Factory Girl, Ayten Amin's Villa 69, Mohamed Shaker's Hatouli Ragel (“Bring Me a Man”), Maggie Morgan's Asham, Youssri Nasrallah's After the Battle and Ahmed Abdallah's Rags and Tatters. The feature film competition jury, headed by celebrated actor Yehia Al-Fakharani, brings together director Mohamed Yassin, screenwriter Azza Shalabi, actress Elham Shahin, editor Mona Al-Sabban and set designer Onsi Abu Seif among others; the short and documentary film competition jury is headed by film critic Kamal Ramzi.
