Sadat with group of American artists at her residence Former Egyptian first lady Jehan Al-Sadat and world renowned archaeologist Zahi Hawass got together with a group of 50 American applied artists and painters. Al-Sadat welcomed the group at her riverside mansion in Giza and described the enchanting and serene nature of Egypt that attracts the world's most celebrated artists for inspiration, trying to capture the fascinating views of the countryside and ancient antiquities. Hawass met the group by the Sphinx and discussed the most recent excavation of a papyrus belonging to King Khufu that asserts that the Pyramids builders were all Egyptians. (Photo: Ayman Barayez) Magdi Saber Newly appointed Culture Minister Ines Abdel-Dayem has said that Magdi Saber will be tasked with the responsibilities of the chairman of the General Authority for the National Cultural Centre (the Cairo Opera House) in the coming period. Born in 1963, Saber studied ballet and obtained a bachelor's degree from the Higher Institute of Ballet. He was assistant professor at the Higher Institute of the Department of Designing and Directing Ballet. Saber was the first Egyptian on the stage of the Cairo Opera House when it opened, and played a leading role in the Abu Simbel ballet, together with Japanese artists. Ahmed Malek Berlinale Talents announced its list of participants in this year's sixth edition. The list includes emerging TV and cinema actor Ahmed Malek who was selected from over 3,100 applicants from 133 countries. In addition to participating in the programme and its networking platforms from 17 to 22 February, recently, Screen International selected Saber among five promising Arab stars and filmmakers in the Arab Stars of Tomorrow, part of the activities of the 14th Dubai International Film Festival (DIFF). The board of the Shnit Worldwide Short Film Festival also selected Malek a jury member of the Realtime competition. During the DIFF, iProductions announced Malek was chosen to join the cast of Al Deif (The Guest), a film directed by Hadi Al-Bagouri and written by journalist and novelist Ibrahim Eissa. Hassan Ghazaly Secretary-General of the Supreme Council of Culture Hatem Rabie, and Jihad Amer, chairman of the Youth Committee of the Supreme Council of Culture, awarded Hassan Ghazali, general coordinator of the African Youth Office in the Ministry of Youth and Sports, the council's commemorative shield following his landslide victory in elections for the executive office of the African Youth Union held in Sudan in December. Egypt became the union's vice-president. Kiss Me Not film poster Four films distributed by MAD Solutions for film production will be screened at the first Jounieh International Film Festival (JIFF) from 17- 22 January in Lebanon. The feature films Ali, the Goat and Ibrahim by Sherif Al-Bendary and Kiss Me Not by Ahmed Amer, along with the Egyptian documentary Jeanne d'Arc by Iman Kamel will compete, while the short film The Parrot by directors Darin Sallam and Amjad Al Rasheed will be screened out of competition. The JIFF is an international event conceived to promote cinema's culture by proposing a selection of feature films, narratives and documentaries, to be showcased during the festival. JIFF emphasises the cultural side of Jounieh and its region, helping it to rise and reposition itself on the cultural scene of the country. The Egyptian Ministry of Culture's Cultural Development Fund held the Happy Holiday Festival in the front yard of Al-Hanager Arts Centre Theatre on the grounds of the Cairo Opera House starting daily from 18 to 24 January, 11am to 3pm. The carnival enlists a number of workshops such as drawings, handicraft and play dough crafts in addition to showing award-winning children's animated movies seen in previous sessions of the annual Cairo International Children's Film Festival, also organised by the fund. The programme offered a number of entertaining shows by a magician, miming, puppets and the national Egyptian circus.
