TRAVELLERS: Filmmaker Ahmed Maher won the Golden Hawk Award at the 40th International Film Festival of Rotterdam in Holland for his film Al-Musafir (The Traveller), which also received the UNESCO's unofficial award after participating in the official competition at the Venice International Film Festival (VIFF) in 2009, the jury award at the Rabat International Film Festival in 2010 and the Best Actor Award (Omar Sharif) at the Alexandria Film Festival in the same year. According to Maher, "The film was hospitably received at Rotterdam by the audience and cinema critics." He expressed his happiness with the timing of the award as it comes a week before the commercial premiere of the film in Egypt on 21 September. Al-Musafir depicts the three days in the life of Hassan, an everyman played by Omar Sharif, which give meaning to his life: landmarks of love, jealousy, betrayal, hatred, fatherhood and friendship. The first day takes place in 1948, the second in 1973, and the third in 2001, reflecting the Nakba, October War and 9/11 without making any reference to them.
