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The non-screening of the film The Atheist, scheduled for Wednesday, sparked a wave of controversy in Egypt’s art and street circles, while social media platforms were filled with posts supporting the film. or criticizing his opinion.

The film’s producer, Ahmed Al-Sabki, had published a publicity campaign saying that the film would be screened starting on August 11, but two days before the screening date, the film’s director, Muhammad Al-Adl, said on his Facebook page: “Thought goes against thinking, not with ban (not with ban)… and the rule is for the people!”.

Al-Adl’s post coincided with another post by the author of the film, Ibrahim Issa, on the X platform, in which he said, “What did the great Naguib Mahfouz do when they banned his novel, Children of Our Neighborhood? He wrote a new novel and what did the great Abdel Rahman Al-Sharqawi do when they stopped showing his play Hussein Tha’era…

Issa said, “The children of our neighborhood and Al-Hussein Thaer kept being read by generation after generation, and their words lived forever in their conscience and mind… Art is stronger than bans, bullets, and even death. dies and the idea is immortal.

Issa and Justice’s revelations followed a campaign on social media demanding that the relevant authorities prevent the screening of the film The Atheist, saying it “challenges Islam and calls for the spread of unrest among Muslim communities. “

There were conflicting reports as to why the film was prevented from being screened on the scheduled date, and questions arose as to whether the non-screening was the result of a decision by the authorities, or whether it was postponed for a certain period, after that. he would appear in theaters.

The Egyptian art critic Khaled Mahmoud believes that the reason why the film is not shown is due to the sensitivity of the name of the film, because many believe that the name “The Atheist” touches him a painful area and an area of ​​religious controversy.

Mahmoud told the Al-Hurra website that the author of the film, the famous writer and media personality Ibrahim Issa, also raises sensitivities among some religious and intellectual movements, especially since some of the works were His art and literature are the subject of great legal and intellectual controversy. .

The art critic pointed out that the controversy surrounding the film may have prompted official institutions to verify its content, and whether it would create a religious controversy, or whether it had to enter forbidden areas of religious controversy.

There are several actors in the film, especially Mahmoud Hamida, Hussein Fahmy, Sherine Reda, Sabreen, and Ahmed Hatem. It deals with the story of a doctor who grew up in a religious family, and decided to reveal his theology, only to confront his family and society.

Issa’s earlier works of art started a wave of intellectual and artistic controversy, such as the films “Maulana” and “The Guest”, the series “Faten Amal Harbi”, and the series “Hadrat Al-Omda “, how they dealt with many things. which was not covered or disputed, in religious, intellectual and social matters.

At the same time, the Egyptian art critic, Ahmed Saad El-Din, believes that the failure to screen a film on the specified date is due to “the approval of the regulatory authorities to the initiative build up about the film on social media sites. “

Saad El-Din said, “The film received approval from the censors and approval of the situation, and received the necessary permits. There is no explanation except that the responsible authorities have been involved in campaigns on social media platforms, and this takes away their value.”

He pointed out that most of the social media users who attacked the film before it was shown and therefore watched it had no logical justification, because what is right is that the​​​​ make an impression first and then the critique and evaluation phase comes later. “

Saad El-Din agrees with Mahmoud that most of those who participated or participated in social media campaigns started from the name of the film and the name of its author.

On Wednesday, Al-Adl wrote on Facebook, apologizing for not showing the film, revealing that he did not know the reason, noting that “the censor has the answer in the case of works of art. “

For his part, Mahmoud did not claim that it was a political or security decision or assessment not to show the film.

He said, “I don’t think that the failure to screen The Atheist is due to political or security reasons, because the production of the film started two years ago, and there were many obstacles before getting e official permission.

He said, “Most of the works of art that were banned from exhibition at certain times were allowed to be exhibited at later times, after the reasons for the ban or remove the assessments that led to the ban.”

As the controversy escalated, Issa wrote on stage (X), “The Atheist is not just a movie, but the modern civil state, which we defend, and that respects our constitution.”

The Atheist is not just a movie, but the modern civil state that we protect and respect its constitution. pic.twitter.com/WrVjGQNkMA

– Ibrahim Issa (@Ibrahim_3eissa) August 14, 2024

For his part, Saad El-Din points out that the difference in opinions expressed by some of the filmmakers created a state of confusion, as Al-Sabki pointed out that the technical reason, related to the issue of “mixing” and unifying sound. by video, while Al-Adl spoke of a “transition on the censorship side.”

Saad El-Din confirmed that the entire cultural movement in Egypt refuses to ban the film from being shown, because a ban is an undemocratic issue, as it limits creativity to certain movements, and because it is not in the interest of the cultural movement.

He said, “I can say that all the creators are against the ban decisions, and there is now a big campaign for support and solidarity with the film, with all the artistic and cultural.”

Mahmoud returns, expecting the film to be shown soon, saying, “I believe that the film may not have been shown due to technical reasons, and when the reasons that disappear, it will appear in theaters.