Garbage Dreams

The award winning documentary "Garbage Dreams" by Mai Iskander about the zabaleen community in Manshiet Nasser has, deservedly, generated a lot of interest and gained international recognition. But what has attracted my attention is the continuing promotion that has followed its release, a phenomena that I had not witnessed yet, to this extent, in Egypt.
The movie has an excellent website, an online store where you can buy not only the DVD but cool t-shirts as well, and a facebook page where you can share your views, get infos about organizing screenings and keep up to date with the latest news about the movie (articles, participation in festivals, and so on).

If you haven't seen the movie or heard of it yet, you really have no excuses.

Bibliotheca Alexandrina September Film Program

Yes, the Bibliotheca Alexandrina is, as the name suggests, in Alexandria, and therefore not exactly "Cairo Live Event" material, but, you might happen to live in Alex and read this blog, or live in Cairo and go to Alex for a few days, or simply, decide to go because attracted by a special program (might sound far fetched to many but ... well, I did it!). So, provided I continue to receive info regularly, I decided to create a "niche" for Alex in the blog.

What follows is the schedule of the movies shown during the month of September 2010* at the Auditorium of the Bibliotheca Alexandrina. All screenings start at 7:00 PM

19 September 2010
Tenth Birthday of “Amkenah” magazine
"Garbage Dreams"
Directed by Mai Iskander
Egypt/USA – Documentary – 2009 – 79 min.

21 – 23 September 2010
International Day of Peace: "EURIPIDES TRILOGY BY MICHAEL CACOYANNIS"

IPHIGENIA
Directed by Michael Cacoyannis
Greece – Fiction – 1977 – 120 min.
THE TROJAN WOMEN
Directed by Michael Cacoyannis
U.S.A – Fiction – 1971 – 106 min.
ELECTRA
Directed by Michael Cacoyannis
Greece – Fiction – 1962 – 107 min.

26 September 2010
Animation Film Forum "The First Steps of Animation in Egypt - Frenkel Brothers Films"

"National Defense"
Egypt – Animation – 1939 – 14 min.
"Tete Dure"
Egypt – Animation – 1950 – 2 min.
"The Secret of Happiness"
Egypt – Animation – 1950 – 2 min.
"The Smart Student"
Egypt – Animation – 1949 – 3 min.
"You Are Right Othman!"
Egypt – Animation – 1949 – 2 min.
"On the Nile’s Bank"
Egypt – Animation – 1947 – 2 min.
"The Clever"
Egypt – Animation – 1949 – 9 min.
"Bon Appetit!"
Egypt – Animation – 1946 – 11 min.

The Screening is followed by a seminar with the Animation Filmmaker Showikar Khalifa (In Arabic).

* Program actually starts this evening, but I am late in posting and therefore I did not include today's program.

Concert of Famous Opera Arias at the Theatre of the Italian Cultural Center in Zamalek on Sunday, September 5, 2010 - Programme

Concert starts at 8:30 PM

- "Saper vorreste" from the opera "Un ballo in Maschera" by Giuseppe Verdi.
- "Le violette", aria from "Pirro e Demetro", the most famous opera by Alessandro Scarlatti
- "Juliette's waltz" song from the opera "Romeo e Juliette" by Charles Gounod.
- "Caro nome", the famous aria of Gilda from the opera "Rigoletto", by Giuseppe Verdi
- "Queen of the Night" Aria from "The Magic Flute" (Die Zauberflöte) by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
- "Hymne à l'amour" composed and performed by Édith Piaf, with music by Marguerite Monnod
- "Art is calling me" (I want to be a Prima Donna), from the comic opera "The Enchantress", with musics by Victor Herbert, and lyrics by Fred Gresac and Henry Smith

Soprano, Amira Reda
Soprano, Maysa Orensa
Mezzo Soprano, Carole Irigoin
Piano, Gaia Palesati

Poems by Montaser Eghezi
Photos by Bahaa Talis

Naseer Shamma concert on Saturday, September 4, 2010

Iz actually looks as if there is a bit of confusion regarding Naseer Shamma's concert on Saturday September 4. The concert was scheduled on the "Nuits de Ramadan" program of the French Cultural Center for 9:30 PM and as such introduced in the Weekly Agenda. The online program of El Sawi though schedules a Naseer Shamma concert at 10:00 PM on the same night.
El Sawi confirmed their concert while I could not be able to contact the French Cultural Center by phone, and the webpage of the "Nuit du Ramadan" does not open anymore. Trying to get a clue of what's going on, I went on Naseer Shamma facebook page where he replies the following to a question about the concert:

الحفلة الاولى في المركز الثقافي الفرنسي في التاسعة والربع.. والثانية في ساقية الصاوي العاشرة والربع

He plays at 9:15 PM at the French C.C. and at 10:15 PM at El Sawi? Did I get it right? It looks logistically improbable to me. As my Arabic is very poor, can any Arabic speaking reader please be so kind to confirm? 

WEEKLY AGENDA MUSIC Sep. 4 - Sep. 10, 2010

Saturday, September 4, 2010
- Naseer Shamma (Iraq/Oud) at the French Cultural Center in Mounira, 9:30 9:15 PM and at El Sawi Cultural Centre in Zamalek, 10:15 PM
- Closing Ceremony of the Samaa International Festival for Sufi Music and Singing (Ensembles from Spain, India, Syria, Uzbekistan, Egypt Sudan and Indonesia) at the Qubbet Al Ghouri, 9:30 PM
- El Tanboura from Port Said at the Amir Taz Palace, 9:30 PM
- Al-Ghouri Tannoura Dance Group at the Ghouri Caravansaray 9:00 PM

Sunday, September 5, 2010
- Amira Reda (Soprano), Maysa Orensa (Soprano), Carole Irigoin (Mezzosoprano), accompanied by Gaia Palesati (piano) present a singing recital of famous Arias at the Italian Cultural Institute, 8:30 PM (The concert will be followed by a movie screening)
- Hoga Band (Contemporary Oriental music) in the River Hall of El Sawi Cultural Centre in Zamalek, 9:30 PM
- Ana Masry (Egyptian music) in the Wisdom Hall of El Sawi Cultural Centre in Zamalek, 9:30 PM
- El Enshad El Dini Troupe (Religious chants) in the Small Hall of Cairo Opera House, 9:30 PM
- El-Nil Troupe for folk instruments (Folk music and songs) at Beit Al-Suheimi 9:30 PM

Monday, September 6, 2010
- El Mezmar Wi El Rababa Band (Egyptian Folk) in the River Hall of  El Sawi Cultural Center in Zamalek, 10:30 PM
- Al-Ghouri Tannoura Dance Group at the Ghouri Caravansaray 8:30 PM

Tuesday, September 7, 2010
- Sodfa Band (Acoustic music) in the River Hall of El Sawi Cultural Centre in Zamalek, 10:30 PM
- Dr. Sayed El Refai and his Band (Oriental music) in the Wisdom Hall of El Sawi Cultural Centre in Zamalek, 10:30 PM
- Nass Makan (Nubian music, Zikr and Sufi songs, Sudanese music and songs) at the Makan Centre 9:00 PM

Wednesday, September 8, 2010
- Zikr and Sufi songs at the Makan, 9:00 PM
- Mohamed Rashad (Egyptian Folklore) in the River Hall of El Sawi Cultural Center in Zamalek, 10:30 PM
- Al-Ghouri Tannoura Dance Group at the Ghouri Caravansaray, 9:00 PM

Thursday, September 9, 2010
- Mohamed El Sawah (Contemporary Egyptian songs) in the Wisdom Hall of El Sawi Cultural Center in Zamalek, 10:30 PM

Friday, September 10, 2010

Jim Lee in Cairo

Korean-American renowned comic book artist, publisher, and writer Jim Lee will hold a talk at Al Kotob Khan bookshop in Maadi on Friday, September 3, 2010 at 9:00 PM. If you are a comic buff this is an event not to be missed. Free entry.
If you wish to know more about Jim Lee, click here, and here.

Samaa International Festival for Sufi Music and Chanting

Yesterday evening I attended a wonderful festival concert at the Ghouri Palace and I was planning to write about it to encourage as many of you as possible to attend one of the following evenings, but then I stumbled into this article on today's El Masry El Youm about the same subject, and I thought ... leave it to the experts.
Do have a look at it and spare an evening for the festival (running until September 4); you will not regret it.