10 films produced by 22 countries in the feature documentary competition at the Ismailia Film Festival

Within the activities of the 22nd session of the Ismailia International Festival for Documentary and Short Films, which is held by the National Center for Cinema headed by scriptwriter Mohamed Al-Basousy, and which is scheduled to be held from June 16 to 22, this year in Ismailia Governorate, 10 long documentaries were shown in which 22 countries participated in their production.

 

Festival head critic Issam Zakaria said that the activities of the feature-length documentary film competition are witnessing the screening of the film “The House of Two Three”, a Lebanese-Jordanian-Egyptian production.  On a journey torn between 3 homes, each of which would have made a life that was not fulfilled.

 

Zakaria added: The film "Ideal Behavior" is also shown, which is produced by 4 countries: Lithuania, Slovenia, Bulgaria and Italy.  and Rolandas, both sentenced to life in prison, but they live in the hope of a change.

 

The head of the Ismailia International Festival for Documentary and Short Films continued by saying: The third film in the competition is an Argentine-Mexican-Norwegian production film entitled “The Map of Latin American Dreams. The film takes place between 1992 and 2013. The Argentine artist, Martin Weber, asked a number of people from Latin America to write  He dreams of chalk on a small blackboard, photographs them, and decades later Webber wonders if any of those wishes have come true.

 

The film "Another Leap", an Italian-Swiss-Lebanese production, is also shown in the competition. During the events of the film, the frustration and pain of the Palestinian youth in the Gaza Strip is manifested through their perspective of the Parkour team.

 

The film "Bads", a New Zealand-Dutch production, is competing for awards in the feature-length documentary competition. The film explains that the temporary surveillance system is the last hope of a group of teenagers, after their families exhausted all their tricks with them.  They have to get back on track now with the help of a guide on a secluded farm in France.

 

It also shows the Finnish-Swedish film "Sgalo - Island of Spirits", and the events take place on an island with a disturbing and strange past... a place haunted by its past until we accept that ghosts exist and will remain there to challenge us to see and feel that something is hidden.

 

Also participating in the competition activities is the movie "The Sugar Cage", a Syrian-Lebanese-Egyptian production, and the director monitors and records the daily lives of her elderly parents during 8 years of war in Syria. The film is dominated by scenes of isolation, fear and anticipation, but at the same time she is able to record a link  The love and human sensitivity that the family upholds.

 

From the world of myths and legends, “Tales from the Dungeon” is produced by Hungarian and United Kingdom. The events revolve around 3 imprisoned fathers who write fairy tales that have been turned into short films, depicting their family members. This creative attempt to reconnect and heal is deceptive, but its results are uncertain.

 

From Azerbaijan and Australia, the movie “When the Persimmon Grown” is shown, and its events revolve around a mother waiting for her son in a house where the sands of time fall to the rhythm of the sounds of the Azerbaijani countryside, and when he returns, their conversations revolve around existential questions, and news from afar, enigmatic and disturbing.

 

Qatar and Iraq will also participate in the competition with the movie "The Fifth Story", a long emotional journey that spanned four decades of wars and conflicts in Iraq.

 

It is noteworthy that the Ismailia Festival is held annually by the National Film Center in Ismailia Governorate, and it is held this year with all preventive and precautionary measures taken to maintain the security and safety of our guests and all participants in the festival.

 

The Ismailia Festival is one of the oldest festivals in the Arab world and the first Arab festival that specializes in documentaries and short films. Its first session began in 1991.