Great challenges that he faces not only as an actor, visionary and experience in the world of art, but as the head of the most important festival in the Middle East and the Arab region. It is the distinguished artist Hussein Fahmy who continuously emphasizes that the Cairo International Film Festival is one of the 14 major film festivals in the world, which he referred to in his interview with Al-Arabiya.net before traveling to participate in the Red Sea activity Movie Festivals.
*This edition of the festival had to face many challenges. Tell us about them
** If there is no challenge, then the matter will have no taste, there must be challenges to overcome them. The challenges this year have undoubtedly been great, but we managed to overcome them. The truth is that the 44th session of the festival under my presidency had many expectations, and I wanted to demonstrate that I was able to achieve the required expectations, and I hope I have achieved them, because I see that if I achieve 80% of them, I am happy with them, but I saw happy people. And as I’ve heard, the reactions from outside Egypt have been strong.
Artist Hussein Fahmy
How did you manage to participate in the festival this year?
** More than 100 films from around the world participated in the festival, a large number, as the film industry has become completely different from the past with the development of technology over the centuries. The festival also included a top-level committee, workshops and conferences. Also present was the great director Bella Tarr. It was important to honor the late artist Samir Sabry at the Cairo Film Festival, as well as artist Maha Abu Auf and artist Hisham Selim. And the artist Lebleba, who was honored at the festival for her many efforts in cinema, since she started working when she was 5 years old. The honorees are selected according to certain criteria; And not in vain or in a messy way. The message of the festival this year was for the festival to connect with each other and communicate and accept with others. The Cairo Festival is artistic, not political. He distances himself from political struggles; That is, it is a world related to art and beauty.
* You’ve shown tremendous support for Olympic champions with special needs…so we talked about it
** I have been an international ambassador for the Special Olympics for 14 years and I am very concerned about them appearing to the company as they are champions and have all won awards, which need to be shown to the company. We participate in the integration into society because they are an important part of it and must have a place. And I achieved that at a very high rate, and the festival provided wheelchairs for those in need so they could move around the festival halls.
Artist Hussein Fahmy
* And what happened to the late artist Omar Sharif’s clothing show?
** That project was stopped despite everyone’s enthusiasm for the idea of organizing a special exhibition for the clothes of “Lawrence of Arabia” Omar Sharif, because the number of available garments is not enough to organize an exhibition. What has been collected is in the office of the Cairo Festival, in addition to the rejection of this offer by his son Tariq, which made us stop the idea until further notice. The festival management had received two sets of the star Omar Sharif’s clothes, the first of which he wore in the film Doctor Zhivago and the second from the film Funny Girl, and it was expected that we would receive more clothes that Omar Sharif wore in his most famous films .
* Just after finishing the Cairo Film Festival, you returned to the filming location of “The Return of the Baron” series… tell us the details.
** In fact, it’s a commitment on the practical side that needs to be returned to, especially since I stopped shooting my scenes until the end of the festival and the work should be screened soon. The series consists of 15 episodes dominated by mystery and excitement, and I accepted because life differed in its available standards. The 30-episode series are no longer available except in the narrowest limits, but there are works that have reached 7 episodes. In addition, the story of the series impressed me, and the whole work is exciting and mysterious, and the character of the “Baron” is mysterious, as he gathers around him a certain number of young people during the events of the series, helps them and satisfies their dreams and the viewer will understand why in the end.
* And what message do you recommend to young stars through the situations you experienced during your artistic career?
** The star in Egypt works alone without anyone’s help, just as there is no one who works like us with the number of hours we work, and therefore the result is very clear. The artist can last for a longer period if she works with a system in which there is love. The mood of the artist greatly affects the performance she presents and the message she presents through her artwork. For example, I loved working with director Hossam El-Din Mostafa, and we spoke in English all the time, and the roles I played with him are like no other. In addition, the late artist Mahmoud Yassin, ten years old, we were always together, and he introduced me to the national theater, and we had a very honorable competition.
*Red Sea Festival is showing you a restored copy of the movie “Khali Balak Men Zozo”, right?
** Indeed, after the festival management restored it on the occasion of the 50th anniversary of its production, and I am happy to celebrate this work that has united me with the great artist Souad Hosni, whom I have been watching since the black and film days whites. And all the while I was fascinated by her beauty, and “Keep in Mind with Zouzou” was my first film with her, as she is a very capable actress. In fact, I am delighted with the successful cooperation and strong relationship between the Cairo International Film Festival and the Red Sea Festival.
