Country: Egypt
Year: 1981
Duration: 115'
Craving possession is a connatural desire in mankind, but when it gets oppressive it destroys the person who feels that need. It’s around this simple concept that Oyoon la tanam is developed.
A modest family of artisans owns a fallow piece of land where they built a workshop where cars are repaired. Four brothers are part of the family, but only the older one owns the land. Anyway, each of the others believes he’s the only owner of the workshop. The conflict explodes when the older brother wants to get married and have an heir. At this point, they involve in the family argument a poor woman, who is only trying to escape from misery, hunger and aberration and she is also looking for the protection of a man who can keep poverty away from her children.
Through this fight, we find out more about the social and psychological reality of this working family that lives under one of the biggest bridges in Cairo. It’s the heart of the city, where the contrast of interests is a life and death matter.
Traduzione in inglese Francesca Sala – English translation Francesca Sala
Biography
film director
Raafat El Mihi
Raafat El Mihi was born in 1940. In 1960 he graduated in English Literature. From 1962 to 1964, after his studies at the Screenwriting Institute, he worked as a journalist, novelist and screenwriter. A few television dramas were taken from some of his novels, such as Sawaress, Al eskafi (The Cobbler) and Waghan lel hakika (Two faces and the truth). As a screenwriter he was one of the key figures of the young Egyptian cinema renewal. He was founder and first president of the New Cinema Group, whose aim was to express the problems of the contemporary Egyptian society and break with the tradition of mainstream cinema.
Oyoon la tanam is the forst film directed by Raafat El Mihi. It won the most important awards of the Egyptian Film Critics Association in 1971: best film, debut film award, best music, best actor (Ahmed Zaki) and best scenic design.
Screenplays. 1965: Gafat ail amtar (It isn’t raining anymore). 1969: Sowar mamnoua (Defended pictures). 1970: Ghouroub wa chourcuk (Light after darkness). 1971: Shayon fi sadry (Something in his heart).
Films from novels or original stories by Raafat El Mihi. 1972: Alhob alazi kan (Love of the past). 1972 Ghorbaa (Foreigners). 1973: Ayna akly (Chained to the past). 1974: Al Hareb (The runaway). 1975: Ala man notlek al rossas (Who is our target?)
Traduzione in inglese Francesca Sala – English translation Francesca Sala
FILMOGRAFIA
Sceneggiature. 1965: Gafat ail amtar (Non piove pid). 1969: Sowar mamnoua (Immagini difese). 1970: Ghouroub wa chourcuk (Dopo l'ombra la luce). 1971: Shayon fi sadry (Qualcosa nel suo cuore).
Film tratti da romanzi o soggetti originali di Raafat El Mihi. 1972: Alhob alazi kan (L'amore di un tempo). 1972: Ghorbaa (Stranieri). 1973: Ayna akly (Incatenati al passato). 1974: Al Hareb (Il fuggitivo). 1975: Ala man notlek al rossas (Su chi bisogna mirare?).
Declaration
film director
Why did I move to directing? I don’t have an accurate answer. Can you ask someone why he drinks? Or why he eats? One day a stopped to think about what I should do and how to act more spontaneously. I need to meet myself, to find the secret of the sadness that has been tormenting be since 1975. In order to get rid of this feeling, I decided to become the “captain of my own vessel”, to follow the suggestions of my critics and filmmakers friends and write my own screenplays.
What do I want to say?
What is new about it?
I want to fulfill my vision, I’m not worried about searching and I don’t care to add any new value to cinema language. My only goal is to put my feelings on a film through a very simple language. I insist on “simple”, that simplicity of poems, which sounds easy but nobody can ever reproduce.
I admire Bergman for the beauty and simplicity of his films and I feel like a student who looks through the window at an amazing and pretty garden called Bergman.
Nothing… absolutely nothing… I don’t know if I can repeat what I said or not. I don’t even know if I will change my mind and refuse what I said. But I am sure I’m restless… especially when I’m alone.
Raafat El Mihi
Traduzione in inglese Francesca Sala – English translation Francesca Sala
Cast
& Credits
Director and screenplay: Raafat El Mihi.
Director of photography: Moustafa Imam.
Music: Ibrabim Hagag.
Art director: Onssi Abou Scif.
Editor: Said El Cheikh.
Cast: Madiha Kamel, Farid Chawki, Ahmed Zaki.
Producer: Ahmed Metwaly.
Production company: Union des Artistes Coopératifs.
Italian distribution: Studio du Cindma Arabe, Il Cairo.
Director of photography: Moustafa Imam.
Music: Ibrabim Hagag.
Art director: Onssi Abou Scif.
Editor: Said El Cheikh.
Cast: Madiha Kamel, Farid Chawki, Ahmed Zaki.
Producer: Ahmed Metwaly.
Production company: Union des Artistes Coopératifs.
Italian distribution: Studio du Cindma Arabe, Il Cairo.
