A film that's high on my to-see list this year is Egyptian auteur Ibrahim El Batout's latest - a Cairo-set action thriller titled "El Ott" ("The Cat" in English), which centers on the very topical matter of human organ trafficking in Egypt. In short, Egypt’s recent political upheavals, which left a temporary law enforcement gap in the country, reportedly allowed what have been called mob-led organ-trafficking rings to thrive. Amr Waked ("Salmon Fishing in the Yemen") is producing and starring in the film. He's joined by Palestinian actor Mohammad Bakri, Egyptian actress-model Sarah Shaheen, and Egyptian actor Salah Al Hanafy, who...
- 1/5/2015
- by Tambay A. Obenson
- ShadowAndAct
Exclusive: Film that premieres in competition at Abu Dhabi stars Egyptian actor Amr Waked as a gangster who challenges a child organ trafficker.
Pan-Arab distributor Falcon Films has acquired Middle East and North Africa rights to Egyptian director Ibrahim El-Batout’s El Ott ahead of its premiere in competition at the Abu Dhabi Film Festival (Adff) next week.
The picture, previously titled The Cat in English, stars Egyptian actor Amr Waked as a gangster who goes up against a notorious mobster who is kidnapping street children to harvest their organs.
“His mission is to bring down him and his gang,” Waked told ScreenDaily.
The actor also produced the film alongside fellow actor and producer Sahah Al Hanafy through their Cairo-based Zad Communication.
It is the second collaboration between Waked, Al Hanafy and El-Batout after Winter of Discontent, capturing the events leading up to the Egyptian revolution in 2010, which was Egypt’s foreign language Oscar submission this year...
Pan-Arab distributor Falcon Films has acquired Middle East and North Africa rights to Egyptian director Ibrahim El-Batout’s El Ott ahead of its premiere in competition at the Abu Dhabi Film Festival (Adff) next week.
The picture, previously titled The Cat in English, stars Egyptian actor Amr Waked as a gangster who goes up against a notorious mobster who is kidnapping street children to harvest their organs.
“His mission is to bring down him and his gang,” Waked told ScreenDaily.
The actor also produced the film alongside fellow actor and producer Sahah Al Hanafy through their Cairo-based Zad Communication.
It is the second collaboration between Waked, Al Hanafy and El-Batout after Winter of Discontent, capturing the events leading up to the Egyptian revolution in 2010, which was Egypt’s foreign language Oscar submission this year...
- 10/24/2014
- ScreenDaily
Adff to present 197 films from 61 countries.
The 2014 Abu Dhabi Film Festival (Adff), backed by twofour54, will present nine feature world premieres, eight of them from the Arab world. The short film sections will host 48 world premieres.
The festival will open with Ali Mostafa’s From A to B [pictured], and festival director Ali Al-Jabri said: “It is the first time in the festival’s history that we opening with an Emirati film and we ares very proud about this landmark event.”
The festival runs October 23 to November 1 and presents 197 films from 61 countries.
For the second year, the festival host the Child Protection Award organised with the Child Protection Centre of the Ministry of Interior, to spotlight films that raise awareness about abused or neglected children. Films competing for that prize include Zerensenay Mehari’s Difret, Albert Shin’s In Her Place, and Cyprien Vial’s Young Tiger.
The Showcase section includes films such as ‘71, A Pigeon Sat on...
The 2014 Abu Dhabi Film Festival (Adff), backed by twofour54, will present nine feature world premieres, eight of them from the Arab world. The short film sections will host 48 world premieres.
The festival will open with Ali Mostafa’s From A to B [pictured], and festival director Ali Al-Jabri said: “It is the first time in the festival’s history that we opening with an Emirati film and we ares very proud about this landmark event.”
The festival runs October 23 to November 1 and presents 197 films from 61 countries.
For the second year, the festival host the Child Protection Award organised with the Child Protection Centre of the Ministry of Interior, to spotlight films that raise awareness about abused or neglected children. Films competing for that prize include Zerensenay Mehari’s Difret, Albert Shin’s In Her Place, and Cyprien Vial’s Young Tiger.
The Showcase section includes films such as ‘71, A Pigeon Sat on...
- 9/29/2014
- by wendy.mitchell@screendaily.com (Wendy Mitchell)
- ScreenDaily
Egyptian director Ibrahim el-Batout’s human organ-trafficking thriller The Cat will go into post-production at Paris-based Knightworks in January.
The Cat is the second feature-length production from Amr Waked and Salah Al-Hanafy’s Cairo-based Zad Communication, after el-Batout’s Winter Of Discontent which is Egypt’s Oscar submission this year.
In The Cat, actor-producer Waked stars as a Cairo gangster who goes head to head with a trafficking boss, played by Al-Hanafy, in a bid to close down his organ-harvesting operation.
According to a recent report by the Coalition for Organ Failure Solutions (Cofs), organ trafficking is on the rise in Egypt. The study estimated there are thousands of victims of the crime in the country, many of them street children or illegal immigrants forced to give up their organs by traffickers.
The Cat shot over the summer amid the mass protests leading up to the deposing Islamist President Mohamed Morsi.
Since then, Waked...
The Cat is the second feature-length production from Amr Waked and Salah Al-Hanafy’s Cairo-based Zad Communication, after el-Batout’s Winter Of Discontent which is Egypt’s Oscar submission this year.
In The Cat, actor-producer Waked stars as a Cairo gangster who goes head to head with a trafficking boss, played by Al-Hanafy, in a bid to close down his organ-harvesting operation.
According to a recent report by the Coalition for Organ Failure Solutions (Cofs), organ trafficking is on the rise in Egypt. The study estimated there are thousands of victims of the crime in the country, many of them street children or illegal immigrants forced to give up their organs by traffickers.
The Cat shot over the summer amid the mass protests leading up to the deposing Islamist President Mohamed Morsi.
Since then, Waked...
- 12/12/2013
- ScreenDaily
Egyptian director Ibrahim el-Batout’s human organ-trafficking thriller The Cat will go into post-production at Paris-based Knight Works in January.
The Cat is the second feature-length production from Amr Waked and Salah Al-Hanafy’s Cairo-based Zad Communication, after el-Batout’s Winter Of Discontent which is Egypt’s Oscar submission this year.
In The Cat, actor-producer Waked stars as a Cairo gangster who goes head to head with a trafficking boss, played by Al-Hanafy, in a bid to close down his organ-harvesting operation.
According to a recent report by the Coalition for Organ Failure Solutions (Cofs), organ trafficking is on the rise in Egypt. The study estimated there are thousands of victims of the crime in the country, many of them street children or illegal immigrants forced to give up their organs by traffickers.
The Cat shot over the summer amid the mass protests leading up to the deposing Islamist President Mohamed Morsi.
Since then, Waked...
The Cat is the second feature-length production from Amr Waked and Salah Al-Hanafy’s Cairo-based Zad Communication, after el-Batout’s Winter Of Discontent which is Egypt’s Oscar submission this year.
In The Cat, actor-producer Waked stars as a Cairo gangster who goes head to head with a trafficking boss, played by Al-Hanafy, in a bid to close down his organ-harvesting operation.
According to a recent report by the Coalition for Organ Failure Solutions (Cofs), organ trafficking is on the rise in Egypt. The study estimated there are thousands of victims of the crime in the country, many of them street children or illegal immigrants forced to give up their organs by traffickers.
The Cat shot over the summer amid the mass protests leading up to the deposing Islamist President Mohamed Morsi.
Since then, Waked...
- 12/12/2013
- ScreenDaily
Exclusive: Egypt’s burgeoning independent film scene will be the subject of a new documentary being produced by Amr Waked and Salah Al-Hanafy’s Cairo-based Zad Communication.
Entitled The Cat’s House, the medium-length work revolves around the shoot of Ibrahim El-Batout’s organ-trafficking thriller The Cat over the summer. Zad’s upcoming slate also includes Ossama Fawzy’s Rosy Black, which is in development, and Atef Hatata’s The Exile.
Talking about The Cat’s House, Al-Hanafy said: “The ongoing struggle between the distributors and independent producers will be the main focus in the documentary.”
A raft of independent film companies – lead by the likes of Zad and Mohamed Hefzy’s Film Clinic – have sprung up in the wake of the revolution in 2011. Although garnering praise on the festival circuit, recent indie productions such as Winter Of Discontent and Coming Forth By Day have had a tough time finding screens at home.
Young filmmaker...
Entitled The Cat’s House, the medium-length work revolves around the shoot of Ibrahim El-Batout’s organ-trafficking thriller The Cat over the summer. Zad’s upcoming slate also includes Ossama Fawzy’s Rosy Black, which is in development, and Atef Hatata’s The Exile.
Talking about The Cat’s House, Al-Hanafy said: “The ongoing struggle between the distributors and independent producers will be the main focus in the documentary.”
A raft of independent film companies – lead by the likes of Zad and Mohamed Hefzy’s Film Clinic – have sprung up in the wake of the revolution in 2011. Although garnering praise on the festival circuit, recent indie productions such as Winter Of Discontent and Coming Forth By Day have had a tough time finding screens at home.
Young filmmaker...
- 12/8/2013
- ScreenDaily
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