And the winner is The 87th Academy Awards ceremony, presented by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS), took place on 22 February at the Dolby Theatre in Hollywood, Los Angeles. During the ceremony, the Oscars were announced in 24 categories. The Best Actor turned out to be Eddie Redmayne in The Theory of Everything and the Best Actress Julianne Moore in Still Alice. The Best director award went to Alejandro González Iñárritu for Birdman. At a press conference this week, the American University in Cairo (AUC) announced the establishment of the Khalaf Ahmed Al-Habtoor Scholarship, which will give 10 outstanding students from the “far corners of Egypt” and outside Greater Cairo the opportunity to study at AUC. Once the programme is fully funded, two students will receive scholarships each year, maintaining 10 Khalaf Ahmed Al-Habtoor Scholarship students at AUC in perpetuity. Hosted by AUC President Lisa Anderson at AUC New Cairo Campus, the signing ceremony brought together Al-Habtoor; Amr Salama, AUC counselor; Mahmoud Al-Gamal, AUC provost; Tarek Shawki, dean of the School of Sciences and Engineering; Brian MacDougall, executive vice president for administration and finance; Dina Abul-Fotouh, vice president for Institutional Advancement and Communications; and Khaled Dahawi, vice president for student affairs. Al-Habtoor, a longtime supporter and friend of AUC, is a philanthropist and Arab business leader. He is the owner and chairman of Al-Habtoor Group in the United Arab Emirates (UAE). At the Wisdom Hall of El Sawy Culturewheel, a celebration of the anniversary of the late novelist Abdel-Moneim El-Sawy and the 12th anniversary of the centre named after him featured the screening of two documentaries on El Sawy Culturewheel and Abdel-Moneim El-Sawy. In his speech the founding director of El Sawy Culturewheel Mohamed El-Sawy expressed his happiness to be celebrating both events on the same day and read extracts from his father's work, while the well-known novelist Ibrahim Abdel-Meguid spoke about El-Sawy's literary achievement. The ceremony ended with the honouring of some of El Sawy Culturewheel's lecturers and guests. To celebrate the 100th anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi's return from South Africa to India, the Maulana Azad Centre for Indian Culture (MACIC), in collaboration with the Egypt-India Friendship Association (EIFA), organised a lecture by Mustafa Kamel Al-Sayed, professor of political science and director of the Centre for Study of Developing Countries at Cairo University. Entitled “Gandhi's Humanitarian Values”, the lecture drew some 50 EIFA representatives as well as students and scholars. The Head of the Cultural Development Fund Mohamed Abu Saada handed out the awards of the 8th International Animation Forum in the presence of the Head of the forum committee journalist Mohamed Boghdadi and the head of the Egyptian Association for Animation Rashida Abdel-Raouf. Honoured were director Laila Makin, professor Zakaa Al-Ansari, cartoonist Gomaa, director Violet Fahmi, actor Ahmed Rateb and the name of the late cartoonist Mustafa Hussein. The awards were as follows: best film, Al-Wahm (The Illusion), directed by Sarah Saleh; second film, shared by Fly by Fadi Mohsen and Kharbish (Scratch) by Nada Moheb; best short film, Lost Senses by Marcin Wasilewski from Poland; second short film, Collectors by Marcel Hobi from Switzerland; best idea, Family in the Park by Annai Ramos Maza (Mexico); best music, Lost Senses by Jacaszek (Poland); best design, Darling by Izabela Plucinska (Poland); best décor, The Kiosk by Anete Melec (Switzerland); best screenplay, Baths by Tomek Ducki (Poland); best poster design, Mohamed Abdel-Alim. Lost Senses was screened at the end of the ceremony. MAD Solutions announced a partnership with Original Narrative, the Student Short Film Festival initiated and hosted by the Mohamed Bin Rashid School for Communication (MBRSC) at the American University in Dubai (AUD). The festival took place in Dubai in 21-24 February. On behalf of MAD, Abdallah Al-Shami, the company's managing partner for GCC operations, took part as a jury member at the festival's Screenplay Session. The event is dedicated to reading the shortlisted scripts and giving feedback to the writers on how to make their scripts more salable. At a Speed Networking Event, Al-Shami met up with filmmakers to represent MAD's multiple activities which include distribution, marketing and public relations across the Arab world. On the importance of the festival Ali Jaber, dean of MBRSC and Group TV Director of MBC, commented, “This unique festival aims to give a new generation of aspiring filmmakers a one-of-a-kind opportunity to share their views in the global arena.” Lebanese singer Samo Zein gave a concert for the benefit of the Nabil Fawzi Charitable Association (founded eight years ago with the aim of providing children who need them with artificial limbs) and the Long Live Egypt Fund. Present were Argentinean Ambassador Sergio Alberto, Omani Ambassador Khalifa Al-Harithi, tourism experts Amgad Hassoun and Karim Shalhoub, Radio and TV presenter Osama Mounir and Al-Ahram Hebdo's Magda Barsoum. “No country can get ahead if it leaves half of its people behind” .. with these few words, Ahmed Abdel-Wahed, the regional director of HEYA Women Policy Centre programme, launched the first programme forum “HEYA... Between Empowerment and Undermining” in Cairo. With the attendance of around 50 representatives from the different cultural, religious, governmental, media, civic and women organisations in Egypt; the National Development Foundation along with HEYA partner organisations from Cairo, Alexandria, Beheira and Qena governorates organised this forum to highlight and discuss different opportunities and challenges that are shaping the Egyptian women active participation in public policies formulation and monitoring. “HEYA” is a multi-channel integrated regional programme funded by the Sweden International Development Aid (SIDA) and implemented by AID-MENA in collaboration with more than 30 national NGOs in Egypt, Jordan, Yemen, Tunisia and Lebanon. In her opening speech, Ambassador Mona Omar emphasised on strengthening women's roles and capabilities in policy and decision making processes. Present were Manal Samra, the programme director in Egypt, Sheikh Salem Abdel-Gelil, professor of Islamic Culture at Misr University for Science and Technology and Father Moussa Yacoub, representative of the Coptic Orthodox Church who both emphasised on the Islamic and Christian teachings and heritages respectively in advocating and supporting women's active and leading roles in their families, communities and country.
