Sherif Arafa from his seminar at the El Gouna Film Festival: The true director is the soul of the film

Established  Today  An open dialogue with the great director Sherif Arafa, within the activities of the eighth session of the El Gouna Film Festival. The meeting, which dealt with Arafa’s artistic career and his most prominent cinematic stations, was moderated by the artist Abbas Abu Al-Hassan

 

A large number of art stars were keen to attend the dialogue, as Yousra, Hussein Fahmy, Nour El-Nabawy, Mai Selim were present at the symposium. Mays Hamdan, Ahmed Al-Saadani, Basant Shawky, Nada Akram, critic Tariq El-Shenawy, Ashraf Abdel-Baqi, his wife and daughter, director Zeina Ashraf Abdel-Baqi, Taha Desouky, Sedqi Sakhr, and a number of other stars.

 

The great director spoke about his career and beginnings, saying that he worked With the great directors in Egyptian cinema, such as Hassan Al-Imam, Saad Arafa (his father), Atef Salem, Mohamed Khan, and Yassin Ismail Yassin, noting that each of them left a special mark in his style and cinematic vision.

 

Arafa explained that the true director is the soul of the film, saying: “I am like the actor.” The film is in the spirit of the director, which gives them life and the true artistic sense.

 

Arafa recalled his memories of the late director Atef Salem, stressing that he was one of the best who presented the spirit of the family and the Egyptian home in his works. He also praised Hassan Imam, saying: “Even though the critics were attacking him.” They describe him as the director of the dancers, but he is a reference for any director who tries to film the scenes of the 1919 Revolution. He is a great school in Egyptian cinema.

Sherif Arafa stressed that he does not admit that the success of the film is measured only by its box office revenues, pointing out that true success is for the film to live in the audience’s memory for many years, and for people to remain keen to watch it. Always.

 

Arafa added that he does not believe that a film must necessarily carry a social or political issue in order for it to be important, explaining that a good film is one that leaves an impact and expresses life and people without pretension.

 

Sherif Arafa touched on the issue of The new generation of directors, stressing that they must know well who they are, adding: “The young director must ask himself: Am I creative or imitative?” The difference is very clear, but this does not mean that imitators are not important, because the industry needs all types, but the talented person is the one who adds and does something that has spirit and creativity.