Programme 9
Youssef Chahine (1926–2008), the acclaimed Egyptian film director, is one of the few Arab filmmakers to gain international recognition. In his more than 40 films, including dramas, comedies and musicals, he addressed issues of power, social oppression, corporate and political corruption, nationalism and religious fundamentalism.
To commemorate the tenth anniversary of Chahine's death, three of his restored films, each from a different decade, will be screened in collaboration with The Africa Institute at Africa Hall. Programmed by Hind Mezaina, these films will be shown in three separate programmes.
The Land (1969)
Director: Youssef Chahine
Cast: Nagwa Ibrahim, Ezzat Al Alayli, Mahmoud El Meligy, Yehia Chahine, Hamdi Ahmed, Tawfiq El Dikn, Ali Al Sherif
Egypt
Narrative | 130 min
Arabic with English subtitles
The Land traces the struggle of a group of peasant farmers in the 1930s to protect their fields and their livelihoods from a corrupt pasha. Adapted by Chahine from a novel published soon after Egypt’s 1952 revolution, the film offers a rallying cry for an Arab world demoralised by the Israeli expansion of the 1960s.