Security sweet potatoes The unlikely marriage of security forces and street peddlers is among the stranger side effects of revolution, as Sherif Sonbol was quick to note with his camera: a sweet-potato vendor who, along with thousands of unlicensed low-life entrepreneurs has been running wild since February, virtually overtaking the streets, has formed an alliance with a battalion of Central Security to whom he provides the hot dessert. For the second year in a row, the Film Clinic participates officially in the Toronto Film Festival; last year it contributed Microphone. This year the documentary, Tahrir 2011: The Good, the Bad and the Political, which dissects the Egyptian revolution of 25 January, is in the 36th round, held from 8 to 18 September 2011. The film -- part of the Mavericks section, which specialises in documentary films, alongside American, Canadian, French, Indian, Maldivian and other films -- it will be shown three times, on 11, 12 and 17 September; the last screening will include an open discussion with the directors: Amr Salama, Tamer Ezzat and Ayten Amin. They will be joined by the producer and screenwriter Mohamed Hefzi, founder and manager of the Film Clinic, as well as Frederic Sichler, manager of the Arab-film distribution company Pacha Pictures, which was founded during the last Cannes Film Festival in collaboration with Hefzi. It was previously announced that Tahrir 2011 will be featured in the upcoming Venice Film Festival (31 August-10 September), its world premier, in the presence of its directors and producer. The film is among the first documentaries discussing the revolution, standing out with its portrayal of three different perspectives on what happened in the 18 days leading up to the toppling of Hosni Mubarak on 11 February. photo: Ayman Barayez The President of the International Union of Muslim- Christian-Jewish Dialogue and Peace Education Ali El-Samman held a cultural evening at his residence in Giza. Intellectuals, ambassadors and public figures discussed the role of society in raising cultural awareness among the young post-revolutionary Egypt; they included the Minister of Housing, Utilities and Urban Development Mohamed Fathi El-Baradei, the Ambassador of the European Union Marc Franco and his wife, actress Nabila Ebeid, the head of the Foreign Cultural Relations Sector at the Ministry of Culture Hossam Nassar and the former president of Alexandria University Mohamed Abdella. The National Centre for Theatre, Music and Folk Art announced the opening of a play writing competition for playwrights under 40 in the name of the late Tawfiq El-Hakim. According to the head of the National Centre for Theatre Nasser Abdel-Moneim, "the competition aims at offering a chance for new, young talents to present new projects to be performed by one of the Theatre Art House troupes." The International Port Said Scouts, presided over by Abdel-Malek El-Zeini, organised a seminar entitled "The safe use of mobile networks", in cooperation with the health and environment department at the Egyptian company for mobile services. Al-Ahram Weekly 's Environment Editor Mahmoud Bakr gave a speech about the role of the media in protecting health and the environment. Al-Ahram Weekly 's beloved friend and former MP, the distinguished lecturer in political science at AUC Mona Makram Ebeid, has just returned from Paris where she gave the keynote speech (about challenges and opportunities in the new Egypt) at the annual conference of Movement of the Enterprises of France (MEDEF), the French equivalent of Davos. Concluding its activities on 3 September, the MEDEF gathered the biggest corporate associations in the world and was attended by thousands of chief executive officers and hundreds of journalists. The three-day conference was held under the leadership of the MEDEF President Laurence Parisot. Culture Minister Emad Abu Ghazi inaugurated an exhibition by the artist Mustafa Eissa at the Cairo Opera House Gallery: "Egypt, The Cradle of Civilisation" showcases some 100 tourist posters and is classified into three parts showing original designs for the most remarkable historical sites across Egypt, a panoramic view of Alexandria including the Qait Bey Fort and Al-Montazah, and a 20-minute documentary on Egypt. Eissa graduated from the graphics department at the Faculty of Fine Arts, Helwan University in 1972. ( see Listings p.28 )
