Cinematic diplomacy SINCE its release last July, comedian Adel Imam's summer hit Al-Sifara fil Imara (The Embassy in the Building), written by Youssef Maati and directed by Amr Arafa, is still making headlines. Under one such, the Israeli newspaper Maariv published an interview with the Israeli Ambassador to Cairo Shalom Cohen, in which he describes Egyptian-Israeli relationships as "moving in the right direction, even if they are not yet complete. For once a film seen by all Egyptians speaks about the Israeli Embassy as an existing entity and a part of the daily life." And whether or not he chose to see the full half of the bottle, as the newspaper described it, Cohen overlooks the fact that ambassador in the film is named David Cohen -- he describes it as a predictable coincidence, since Cohen is the most common Jewish name in Arab drama. Likewise he places the murder of a Palestinian child by Israeli gunfire (the event that pushes the protagonist towards vocal anti-normalisation) in the context of "cruel scenes covering the Intifada" -- something Egyptian TV viewers have seen regularly for years, and which "cannot be ignored". Cohen went on, "I await the day when Egyptian artists will be free to express their political views on Israel without a need for a third party." Perhaps this is the raison d'être of popular entertainment, after all: catering to all tastes and predilections, and satisfying almost the widest possible audience. Yet it remains true, sadly, that the use of the embassy in the film as a dramatic substitute for the Israeli state -- the ambassador and his guests invading the protagonist's flat, for example, is a kind of re-staging of settlement activity in the occupied territories -- benefits from no historical insight into the Arab Israeli conflict. As is wont of commercial cinema, amnesia is more encouraged than remembrance; like its protagonist, the film has neither a clear vision of the past nor the capacity to imagine a possible future. Cinema strike THE BOARD of the Chamber of Film Industry, presided over by Munib Shafei, decided last saturday to close all Cairo movie-theatres, in protest of the decision of the Cairo governor to charge up to ten per cent tax on tickets. Shafei declared that the governor's decision contradicts the prime ministerial decree which, by order of the Constitutional Court, prohibits local administrative units from collecting any taxes. In its statement the chamber declared that movie-theatres should be closed until the decision is reviewed by the governor. The chamber also sent a memo to Prime Minister Ahmed Nazif demanding the governor's decision be cancelled. It is noteworthy that the movie-theatres, which have been witnessing their peak season during the past four months, were scheduled to close starting this week for the month of Ramadan, during which TV takes over while screening venues take the opportunity to undergo renovations or economise on the use of facilities. Short is best LAST Sunday (25 September), in California, the jury of the 2005 Palm Springs International Festival of Short Films & Short Film Market -- the largest short film festival and market in North America -- announced names of this year's winners. More than 500 filmmakers and industry representatives from around the world participated in this year's Festival held from September 20-26, which screened 324 short films in competition and included more than 2,400 of the filmmaker submissions, from over 45 countries, in the film market. A total of 22 festival awards in 13 categories and six audience favorites were announced Sunday evening at the Awards Presentation held at the Camelot Theatre in Palm Springs, CA. A total of $14,000 in cash prizes, $7,500 in Kodak film stock, $6,000 in software prizes and a $30,000 Panavision camera package were awarded. Award winners receiving a first place prize are automatically eligible to submit their films to the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences for Academy Award consideration: the Festival presented six of last year's short film Academy Award nominees, including two winners. Over the past ten years, the Festival has presented 46 films that have gone on to receive Academy Award nominations. Commenting on the success of this year's Festival and Market, Festival Director Darryl Macdonald said, "It's been a watershed year for this Festival. The huge filmmaker and industry attendance has now certified this event as the most important Short Film Festival in North America, and the audience response -- along with the filmmakers attending screenings -- have validated our programming work with a major stamp of approval, voicing their appreciation of the short film choices and packages with constant verbal praise and loud applause at virtually every screening." The top award winners were: Best Of Festival Award: Torte Bluma, Benjamin Ross (USA); Future Filmmaker Award: Josh Staub (USA) for his film The Mantis Parable; Panavision Grand Jury Award: Diego Postigo (Spain) for his film La China.
