Cairo International Film Festival 37th edition was started grandly on 11th November 2015 evening with an American work, Jonthan Demme’s Ricki and the flash. The great actor Meryl Streep plays an ageing rocker who while chasing her dreams, leaves her family. Years later, Streep — Linda or Ricki — who is part of the band called The Flash is disheartened when her role is reduced. And when her former husband calls asking her to help their unhappy daughter, Julie, get back on her feet again, Ricki travels to Indianapolis.
The Ricki and the flash are not one of those heavy sniff stories. This was written with warmth and wit. The anger and rancour are dealt with subtlety — even though there are heart-rending emotional upheavals.
In 2012, many Egyptian artists prohibited the festival, because they felt that “third-rate commercial actors” had been invited at the cost of developing talents. That year, the closing ceremony at the Opera House had to be cancelled, because of clashes at the nearby Tahrir Square. The world over, film festivals have had their share of troubles. Even the Queen of all, Cannes, had a couple of closures — once in the late 1960s because of workers’ and students’ demonstrations. Venice, the world’s oldest festival, had seen many rough patches.
This year, the Abu Dhabi Film Festival drew its curtains for good. Nobody knows the actual reason. A few years ago, the festival at Doha shut down. Happily, the Dubai International Film Festival has been growing — the closure of Abu Dhabi and Doha perhaps working in its favour — as far as the choice and availability of movies are concerned.
The Cairo International Film Festival is the oldest in the region, having been established in 1976 by writer Kamal El-Malkh. The festival continues till November 20, and includes four Indian titles — Prashant Nair’s Umrika (in Competition), Ruchika Oberoi’s Island City, Meghna Gulzar’s Talvar and Farah Khan’s Om Shanti Om. Radhika Apte will be part of the international jury from India.