photo: Abdel-Hamid Eid The first edition of the Luxor Egyptian and European Film Festival (17-22 September) took place despite all the obstacles in its way. The seven-day event, presided over by Magda Wassef, screened 64 films from 22 European countries as well as Egypt. The honorary president of the festival veteran novelist Bahaa Taher, pointed out that, as one of Luxor's own sons, he applauds the festival and its activities in making the magic city of Luxor not only a place for ancient Egyptian culture and antiquities but also a city that presents culture from various parts of the world, indeed a capital of the world. The festival honoured British producer Paul Webster for Salmon Fishing in the Yemen directed by Lasse Hallström and featuring Ewan McGregor, Emily Blunt and the gifted Egyptian actor Amr Waked. The festival honoured various figures such as actor Ahmed Helmi with the attendance of actors Bassem Samra, Elham Shahine, and Laila Elwi Under the slogan "Taekwondo for All", the embassy of the Republic of Korea in Cairo, in cooperation with the Egyptian Taekwondo Federation, organised the third Global Taekwondo Course in Fayoum, at the Taekwondo Training Hall. Under the supervision of Korean instructors, some 120 trainees from all age groups participated in this course, which aims to encourage young Egyptians to practise the martial art. At the end of the course, participants were awarded in the presence of Cultural and Information Counsellor Park Jae Yang who expressed admiration for the advanced level of the participants. "A similar course was organised in Ismailia, Aswan and Port Said," Yang said, expressing the hope that these efforts will promote friendly relations and cooperation between Egypt and South Korea. The Indian Ambassador to Egypt Navdeep Suri paid a visit to Al-Azhar University where, with President of the university Osama Al-Abd, and Vice President Farid Hamada, he discussed scientific cooperation between Al-Azhar and Indian universities. Suri hailed the role played by Al-Azhar and its university in spreading the spirit and right teachings of moderate Islam, indicating that it is highly regarded in India. photo: Nasr Attiya An official reception took place at the Armenian Embassy in Cairo on the occasion of celebrating the 21st anniversary of the Independence Day of the Republic of Armenia. Among hundreds of guests were senior officials from the ministries of foreign affairs, defence, culture and education as well as heads and representatives of more than 70 countries' diplomatic missions and international organisations accredited to Cairo, prominent businessmen, politicians, public figures, artists and journalists. In his welcome speech Armenian Ambassador in Egypt Armen Melkonian particularly mentioned the Armenian-Egyptian cooperation, placing importance on the role of the Armenian community in the strengthening of friendly ties between both countries. More news on cinema: The closing ceremony of the 28th Alexandria Film Festival for Mediterranean Countries took place at the Sayed Darwish Theatre. The Turkish film Mar (The Snake), Caner Erzincan's debut was awarded the best film prize, while the Bosnian film Neprijatelj (The Enemy), directed by Dejan Zecevic, won the special jury award. Tunisian filmmaker Ridha Behi won the best director award for his film Always Brando, and the Spanish film Silencio en la nieve (Frozen Silence) was granted a special prize. The best short film award went to the Egyptian film Walad Wa Bent (A Boy and a Girl), directed by Hala Badr. photos: Ayman Barayez Al-Shemou Salon, headed by Lotus Abdel-Kerim, held a cultural evening to discuss the problems of the Arab countries after the Arab Spring. Present were Lebanese Ambassador to Egypt Khaled Ziyada and his wife, professor of comparative law at Cairo University Ali Al-Ghateit, AUC Press Promotion Manager Nabila Akl, Major-General Magdi Diab, media counsellor Mohamed Al-Khouli, poets Ahmed Al-Shahawi and Mahmoud Sharaf and writer Maha Abdel-Fattah. The Duroub gallery in Garden City held the annual exhibition of artist Nadia Hassan, showcasing 60 of her unique puppets with Egyptian faces. A Faculty of Fine Arts graduate of 1961, Hassan made puppet-making her graduation project -- which was granted second place with honours. She designed the puppets for two plays after her graduation: Qaher Al-Aballis (The Demons' Conqueror) with the poems of the late Salah Jahin, and Hekayet Sakka (Sakka's Tale), with music by Sayed Mekkawi. Her beautiful puppets are showcased in various places around the world. Under the auspices of the head of the General Organisation of Cultural Palaces (GOCP) poet Saad Abdel-Rahman, a series of cultural seminars was organised in cooperation with Egypt's Human Rights Council. They centred on the 27th article of the International Declaration of Human Rights, which guarantees the freedom of society to participate in cultural life. The first of the seminars, organised by Tiba Academy under the slogan "Yes, We are all Egyptians", is to be entitled "Religious Tolerance with Humans". AL-AHRAM WEEKLY this week pays its respects to the shrewd and internationally acclaimed political analyst and author Mohamed Hassanein Heikal on the occasion of his 89th birthday. Born on 23 September 1923, Heikal's unique career in journalism goes back to 1942, but it is his association with late president Gamal Abdel-Nasser that dominates his public profile. He was the editor-in-chief of Al-Ahram newspaper from 1957 to 1974; since then his name has become synonymous with Al-Ahram. Listed by Time magazine in 2004 as one of the 100 most influential people in the world, Heikal exercises the kind of influence normally reserved for world leaders. Many pay close attention to what he has to say about current political issues. His personal connections with the Arab leaders and international political figures enriched his resources, which allowed him to write over 50 highly regarded books on Egypt and Middle East politics, many of them translated into several languages. His most recent book, published by Shorouk, is Misr Ela Ayn? Ma Baad Mubarak Wa Zamanuh (Egypt, Where To? After Mubarak and his Time). In it he records his views on the future of Egypt after the 25 January Revolution, tackling tensions and confusions that have surfaced in society following Mubarak's ouster.
