Yomeddine Witnesses High Turnout at CIFF

By Nour El Hoda Fouad

CAIRO, Nov. 24 (SEE) - Egyptian independent film "Yomeddine" witnessed a problem during its show on the fourth day of Cairo International Film Festival (CIFF) at El Hanager Arts Center.

The organizers were surprised because of the great turnout of people to watch the movie, a matter which led the organizers to increase the number of tickets sold to the audience.

The theater was full of people which made the organizers add more 40 seats to solve the crisis and the film show was delayed.

President of the 40th edition of the festival Mohamed Hefzy apologized for the situation but he wondered that the film was released for months in cinemas and didn't witness such a large turnout.

Directed by Abu Bakr Shawky and his wife Dina Emam, the film is a road trip where two outcasts, Beshay and Shika, discover the harshness of the world outside the leper colony where they have spent all their lives.

Beshay, who was cured of leprosy, decided to search for his family after his wife dies in Upper Egypt. So he travels to Qena governorate with his donkey and his fellow called 'Obama.'

The film won the Silver Tanit Award for Best Feature Film at the Carthage International Film Festival. It is the third award for the film after the Gouna Star for Best Arab Feature and the Cinema For Humanity Audience Award at El Gouna Film Festival.

It also won the Best Foreign Language Contender Award at the Heartland Film Festival in Indiana.

Translator: Hassan El-Khawaga