The flight to Cairo from New York is almost 12 1/2 hours, without a stop.
At least, I can catch up on my movie going by watching two of the three
films offered over the Atlantic. "Casper" gained an extra dimension
with the Arabic subtitles, to be sure. I tried to explain the title of the
next film, "The Englishman Who Went Up A Hill, But Came Down A Mountain,"
to the Egyptian businessman sitting next to me, but soon gave up in frustration.
Two movies down and only eight hours to go.
Egypt is hectic. Cairo airport is hectic. Cairo is hectic. The twentith
century meets the Dark Ages. You've heard about the terrible traffic in
Naples, the crazy drivers in Mexico and the speed demon Italians, but nothing
can prepare you for the freeway hell of downtown Cairo. Daredevil drivers
pay no attention to lanes and one must continually dodge pedestrians and
donkey carts loaded with cauliflowers or garlic. Car horns blast continuously.
Was there really a Pharoah named Tootnhookin?
The Gezriah Sheraton, where the Cairo Film Festival participants are lodged,
is under heavy security. A metal detector and numerous uniformed guards
welcome the visitor. Political extremists have been sniping at tourists
lately in Southern Egypt, so extra precautions are being taken. I have been
invited back to the festival for the second time and HBO Pictures is represented
by "Citizen X" showing in the official competition. Organization
is not a strong point here, but the staff is obliging and cheery.
Attend a splashy reception for the Minister of Culture. The event is staged
at the glorious Manyal Palace built in 1903 for Prince Mohammed Ali. It
looks like a Hollywood set for one of those 1950's "Sheherezade"
movies starring Debra Paget. The Palace is now open to the public and the
Thomas Cook Guide recommends seeing the 1000-piece silver service, the table
made of elephants' ears and the stuffed hermaphrodite goat. Guess they packed
away the goat before we arrived, as it was nowhere to be found. Every inch
of wall space in the grand ballroom is colorfully decorated and the centerpiece,
a mammoth crystal chandelier, is bigger than a boxcar. The food (including
freshly baked sweet potatoes) is fabulous and plentiful. Several well-known
Egyptian actresses are in attendance with big hair and bosoms that almost
rival that chandelier. The Minister and his forty bodyguards leave en masse.
We follow shortly.
A day trip is organized to take Festival participants to the nearby town
of Ismailia. Located at the midpoint of the Suez Canal, this town with some
intriguing architecture is the operational headquarters for the shipping
traffic. Take a brief boat trip and watch some supertankers pass us by on
their way from the Red Sea to the Mediterranean.. Nice lunch at one of the
beach resorts lining the lake that joins the canal. Cross the canal by ancient
ferry and drive into the Sinai Desert and visit the museum in what was the
Israeli headquarters during the 1967 war.
Press screenings are held at the ultra modern Convention Center which is
about twenty minutes ( if you are lucky) from the Sheraton. Gridlock can
increase that travel time considerably. Screenings are well attended, the
audiences 90% male. The showing of "Citizen X" is at 9 AM and
the response seems to be favorable. The second showing at 6 PM will benefit
from computer generated subtitles in Arabic and I learn later that it got
ample applause. A computer whiz from Italy has been imported to oversee
the translations and all goes smoothly. Other screenings are held at various
theaters around Cairo and are less reliable. Movies get cancelled or rescheduled
at random and theater owners have been known to charge admission even when
attendees sport Festival credentials.
I screen about a dozen other competition films, but the quality seems down
this year. The only other American movie in sight is the well-intentioned,
but amateurish, "Land Of Milk And Honey". Americans , in general,
are scarce in Cairo this year. Hollywood stars have stayed home in droves.
Jeremiah Newton from New York University is back again with a package of
student films to show at Cairo University. I am urged to stick around for
the closing ceremony and there are hints of an HBO victory. A police escort
accompanies us to the Convention Center, lights flashing and sirens blaring.
If any extremists want to take a shot at a tourist, they know just where
to find us.
Veteran Italian actor Alberto Sordi is in town and is a guest of honor.
The film he directed, "Nestor-The Last Ride," will be the closing
event. First, however, comes the introduction of the juries and other dignitaries.
Then the President of the Film Festival assures the local audience that
Israel will not be successful in shifting the center of the Arabic movie
industry out of Egypt and into Lebanon. The partisan audience cheers. Then
he sides with other foreign guests in attacking Hollywood. The preponderance
of American films, it seems, is making life impossible for movie makers
and distributors around the world. Will Hollywood stars make the trip to
Cairo? Not likely. Time for the awards.
Sure enough, the jury has voted Stephen Rae the Best Actor prize and Best
Screenplay goes to Chris Gerolmo. I accept the awards for "Citizen
X" on live TV from Sarah Miles, a jury member. They are rather bulky
reproductions of Egyptian sculptures mounted on a wooden base and encased
in plexiglass. The director from Ukraine is apprehensive about getting his
large prize past Russian customs officials. How will I carry these statues
back to New York? They eventually do fit into the overhead luggage compartment
as we depart Cairo and I settle into my seat to watch Disney's "Jungle
Book" in Arabic. Only twelve more hours to go.
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