CAIRO - There is uncertainty about the future of filmmaking in Egypt. Local film producers and production companies are very worried, as are the big stars. Local film producers are having to slash the fees demanded by the superstars, which is good news for the supporting actors and newcomers to acting. One young actor, whose talent has been limited to supporting roles for three years, discloses that he has recently received several calls from film directors, promising that he'll soon be offered some more prominent parts. Another reason why the producers have lost their enthusiasm for the superstars is probably because two films, produced with shoestring budgets, won prestigious awards in Cairo's International Film Festival late last year. Director Magdi Ahmed Ali blames the superstars for wanting too much money, adding that Egypt's cinema sector is also suffering from the recession. According to the veteran filmmaker, desperate production companies are now clinging to budding young actors to survive. Like Ali, his colleague, Mohamed Hamdi, says that the superstars are likely to find themselves out of a job. "They have become too expensive, but the good thing is that this will allow little-known actors to become famous, adds Hamdi, who is angry that the superstars are so greedy. This change of heart is expected to fully develop in the post-revolution Egypt where producers will be keen to cater to changing tastes of the mostly young cinema-goers. Actress Nahla Salama told the press that, in the 1950s, 1960s and 1970s, a number of actors would share the limelight in any film. "Back then, you'd get a lot of superstars, such as the late Roshdi Abaza, Lebanese actress Sabah, the late Farid Shawqi and the late Mahmoud el-Melegi, all starring together in the same film," she said.
