45 CIFF Hosts Panel about Archiving Cinema Legacy

On Saturday, veteran artist Mahmoud Hemida participated in a panel about saving and archiving the legacy of the Egyptian cinema, and its artists.

Hemida revealed that a lot of artists do not believe in the importance or the principle of archive which caused the loss of thousands of films forever. 

He also recalled his memories and experience in dealing with families who inherited valuable libraries but had no experience or knowledge to moderate them.

Hemida also highlighted that laws and regulations are needed to save the legacy of Egyptian cinema and the biggest number of films, and materials. 

On her side, Nada Hossam, the head of the cinema restoration department at EMPC, said that the center is playing a vital role in archiving and restoring several Egyptian films, and materials, asserting that the center saved and restored 60 films in the past 6 years. She added that all kinds of scripts, photos, outfits, and props are used in the film restoration process.

Khaled Hemida also reflected on the hardships of convincing families to restore the original material of the films, adding that the ongoing process of restoring the film is digitalization.

Actress Bushra participated in the event and highlighted that there are a strict plan and directives from President Abdel Fattah El Sisi, Prime Minister Mostafa Madbouly, and Minister of Culture Dr. Ahmed Fouad Hano to save the heritage of the Egyptian cinema.