"Flight 404" has reached a new destination after Egypt's Cinematic Professions Syndicate chose it official nominee in the Best Foreign Film competition at the Oscars.
The film won the majority of votes from the committee members of the Syndicate, filmmakers, and independent critics, chaired by Mosaad Fouda.
Fouda asserted that the film received the highest votes, in view of its adequate content and mastery of all artistic elements.
"It's an honor to represent Egypt internationally," she added.
Director Hani Khalifa expressed his joy at screening the film at the Oscars. "Congratulations to the whole team on the flight's arrival.Congratulations to everyone who contributed to the arrival of this flight. There are plenty of people who helped carry out this project, bring it into ligh, and get it to this point throughout 14 years; artists, guests of honor, soundtrack creators, and photographers,".
Screenwriter Mohamed Ragaa emphasized that he has never lost hope in implementing the project of over 13 years of writing and preparation in order to reach filming and screening stages. The film faced a lot of troubles.
Ragaa added, "'Flight 404' has achieved huge public success. Additionally, many critics showed their appreciation for the film. This means a lot for us all. Well-made films can become popular and successful on the local level. They can also reach everyone abroad. I hope the film will achieve a significant step in the Oscar race,".
Mona Zaki, the lead actress, confirmed that she was honored with the choice of director Khalifa and Ragaa. Producer Mohamed Hefzy was also enthusiastic about choosing her.
Zaki stated, "I was honored that my colleagues accepted honorary roles. Indeed, their immense talents were a significant addition to the film. I'd also like to thank the Cinematic Professions Syndicate for nominating the film to represent Egypt at the Oscars. I hope everything goes well. I hope the film will be accepted to do something good for our country,".
Hefzy noted that the flight was so long and challenging. However, they are glad that the project has reached this stage.
He added, "As for Film Clinic, we know too well the responsibility of nominating films for the Oscars. Basically, this is not the first time that a film of our production has been nominated. Over the past ten years, there were 6 or 7 works of our production. We are well aware of the effort that will be required. We hope to be up to the responsibility,".
Producer Shahinaz Al-Akkad tackled the beginning of her connection with the film, saying, "I joined this flight 5 years ago. Back then, I got the feeling that it would be in the lead. Hence, I feel proud of this choice. The whole team deserve such appreciation, for they worked hard and were patient for so long; screenwriter, director, and actors. Indeed, they believed in this flight,".
"Flight 404" took part in numerous festivals and received many awards, such as: the Special Jury Award for director Hani Khalifa at the 13th Luxor African Film Festival, and the Best Actress Award for Mona Zaki.
It also received the Best Egyptian Film Award at the eighth Aswan International Women's Film Festival.
Moreover, it was the opening film of the Hollywood Arab Film Festival. It was also screened out of competition at the 24th Rotterdam Arab Film Festival.
Furthermore, the film achieved many records. It received a rating of 7.9 out of 10 on IMDB; one of the most prominent websites specialized in cinema and films across the world, through the viewpoints of audiences from Egypt, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, America, and Britain.
It also received a rating of 3.6 out of 5 on LetterBoxd; a website moderated by film fans in New Zealand. A large number of audiences published positive comments on the website.
The film also received critical acclaim from critics in the countries where it has been screened so far.
Beside Zaki, "Flight 404" stars features a large number of stars and guests of honor; Mohamed Farrag, Mohamed Mamdouh, Shereen Reda, Khaled El Sawy, Mohamed Alaa, Hassan Al-Adl, Sama Ibrahim, Shadi Alfons, Rana Rais, Gihan el Shamashergy, Arfa Abdel Rassoul, and Noura Shaeshaa.
Fawzy Darwish is the director of photography, and Assem Ali is the artistic supervisor and decorator. It is edited by Mohamed Eid. Souad Bouchnak is the soundtrack creator, and Marwa Abdul Samee is the costume designer. The mixing is by Kostas Varympopiotis, and Elmy Abd El-Sattar is the sound engineer.
Hefzy and Al-Akkad produced the film through their Film Clinic and Lagoonie Film Production in co-production with KSA's Arabia Pictures Entertainment group and Hi Media Production.
The film is distributed by Misr International Films inside Egypt and Front Row Filmed Entertainment outside Egypt.
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