CAIRO - The January 25 revolt has cast a shadow on the local film industry, with production companies not working and several movie projects being postponed. The crisis has coincided with the mid-year school break, when, after their exams, children normally like going to the movies with their families. Most cinemas were closed because of the curfew, which lasted for around 17 hours a day in the beginning. Later it was relaxed, lasting from 8pm till 6am, urging some cinemas to open for matinee performances. Despite that, the revenues were virtually zero. Films which have suffered heavily include 365 Youm Sa'ada (365 Days of Happiness), starring Ahmed Ezz (the actor, not the business tycoon), whose losses are estimated at around LE10 million. Meanwhile, Fasel Wa Na'od (A Break and then we Come Back), starring Karim Abdel-Aziz, has fared even worse, losing about LE15 million. Unfortunately, it hit the cinema screens just a week before the demonstrations started. Another movie, which was launched just before the revolt and also lost out was 678, starring Boshra, Bassem Samra and Nelly Karim, as well as Bonne Soirée, starring Ghada Abdel-Raziq, and Al-Wattar, starring Moustafa Shaaban and Ghada Adel. Even films released two months or so before the troubles started also suffered, such as Al-Zahaimar, starring Adel Emam; Bolbol Hayran‚ starring Ahmed Helmy; and Ibn el-Consul‚ starring Ahmed el-Saqqa. "The losses to Egyptian cinema must be about LE100 million," according to Mounib el-Shafei, the Chairman of the Chamber of Cinema Industry. "Film production will be affected in the long run and of course the producers won't be compensated for the losses. Some people always lose out in a crisis, but the important thing is what these young people have done for democracy in Egypt."
