By Madame Sosostris Under the auspices of Minister of Culture Farouk Hosni, the Mexican Ambassador Jaime Nualart, head of the Sector of Fine Arts Mohsen Shaalan and Chairman of Gezira Art Centre Mohamed Rizq inaugurated a Mexican photographer Alfredo De Stéfano 's exhibit, "Brief Chronicle of Light" -- taken in the northern deserts of Mexico. Running till 10 September, the exhibition is held at the Ahmed Sabri Gallery in the Gezira Arts Centre. * The Dubai International Film Festival (DIFF, 10-17 December) will grant $325,000 in prize money under the logo of the muhr, the Arabic word for a foal, to Arab filmmakers. Drawing on Arab heritage, the term is derived from the festival logo; top prize is $50,000. According to Abdul-Hamid Juma, among the organiser (centre) speaking at a press conference, "the Arab Film Competition will celebrate films that provide an insight into the rich culture and traditions of the Arab world. The Muhr Awards will mark a new milestone in the realm of Arab cinema, and will also pave the way for a new generation of filmmaking talent in the region." Arab competition director Masoud Amralla Al-Ali explained the structure of the competition, announcing that the deadline for submissions is 25 September 2006. * In celebration of the fourth centenary of Don Quixote de la Mancha, my colleague Ghada Abd El-Kader attended an exhibition of 32 works inspired by the great classic at the Mahmoud Mokhtar Museum, Nahdat Misr Hall. Running until 25 September, it features works produced in 2003-2005 that have been touring the world. Present were Spanish Embassy official Juan José Santos Aguado, head of the Ministry of Culture's Fine Arts Sector Mohsen Shaalan and Cervantes Institute Director Luis Javier Ruiz Sierra. * On Monday, the international non-profit Ashoka Arab World Organisation held a press conference entitled "Together for Better Creative Society" at the Marriott Cairo Hotel. The organisation aims at endorsing social entrepreneurship together with a strong citizen sector. On the occasion, regional director Iman Bibars announced the Arab Media Competition for the best article or reportage about social creativity in the Arab World, which will be held under the auspices of the Higher Council of Journalism. * Up director Sherif Arafa 's sleeve is a huge production said to be different from all other TV serials, in which a range of stellar names from Youssra, Mona Zaki, Ahmed Helmi, Amr Waked and Boushra to Ahmed Rateb, Sawsan Badr, Ezzat Abu Ouf, Amir Karara and Randa El-Behiri. The serial consists of 30 separate episodes tied by the theme of emergency medicine. Last Wednesday Egypt was the guest of honour at the fifth Villammare Film Festival in the Campania region of Italy -- represented by three short films, Eman El-Naggar 's Mitaakhara (Late), Rina Khoury 's Gharb Sharq (West East) and my colleague Mohamed El-Assyouti 's Awwiz Ammawit Al-Humar (I Want to Kill the Jackass). The latter, who is also acting director of film studies at the American University in Cairo, was there on the opening night, introduced by the charming emerging actress Alessandra Borgia. The festival's head and president of the national television channel 105 TV Alessandro Cocorullo and its artistic director Carmine G D'Agostino hailed the event as an opportunity to extend channels of communication across the shores of the Mediterranean. Hundreds of spectators gathered at Piazza Maria SS di Portosalvo, the principal square of the beach town, to attend the screenings, which were preceded by Ariadne Troupe's Egyptian-inspired dance. Pop singer Mohamed Fouad will be making his first television appearance in a drama reportedly to be directed by Gamal Abdel-Hamid ; shooting will start directly after Ramadan. Restoring running water and health services -- and dealing with the menace of unexploded ordnance -- will be UNICEF's priorities as humanitarian efforts gather pace in south Lebanon, according to UNICEF Regional Director Omar Abdi on a brief visit to Taibeh: "You don't need to spend long here to see the amount of work that needs to be done before normal life can resume. Families are returning to what is left of their homes but economic life is almost at a standstill. UNICEF expects to play a leading role in restoring the cold chain infrastructure vital to the re- establishment of routine immunisation to protect children against measles and other diseases."
