A recently released Egyptian documentary suggests Ancient Egyptians knew the basics of cinematography. Their sculptures depict scenes from their daily lives that form what can be considered a storyline. The 20-minute documentary film, titled The Language of Cinema in Ancient Egypt, was screened at the Cinema Culture Palace where it received praise from film critics. Fayza, the 85-year old director of the film, studied art direction when she was 73 years old, abandoning her career in tourism and archaeology to satiate her passion for film-making. Over the past 12 years, Fayza directed only two films, both of which focused on Ancient Egypt. The first won an award from the Catholic Center for Cinema and was screened in Switzerland and Italy. Fayza says ancient Egyptians once depicted Akhenaten and his wife Nefertiti sitting in a monkey-driven cart, a critical analogy, which she says is similar to how officials are portrayed in contemporary films. Fayza also says that the Pharaohs knew the art of montage. One of their murals traces the steps of gold jewelry manufacture.
