During the 70th Edition of the Cannes Film Festival, the Egyptian director Mohamed Diab was chosen to be a member of the jury, chaired by the American actress Uma Thurman, a certain look.
Mohamed Diab was born in Egypt in 1978. After business studies, he worked for two years in a foreign bank. Not feeling in his element, he decided to study cinema at the New York Film Academy.
The first time I had heard of Mohamed Diab was by pure chance. In May 2012, I was in France and all the media spoke of the cinemas release of an Egyptian film made in 2010: Bus women 678. It was the event of the moment. All spoke of this young director who, in his first film, had dared to tackle a prohibited subject in the Arab-Muslim world and which became a real plague in Egypt: sexual harassment of women in the city of Cairo.
Then, I discovered that this same screenwriter, had co-written with his sister Sherine, one of my favorite films: Decordirected by Ahmed Abdallah in 2014.
Decor Tell the story of Maha, a woman in her forties who is at the crossroads and must make a choice: stay with her husband she loves, and live with him a life of artists, bohemia without children, or choose a different path, a well -rowed and routine life.
Decor had been selected in official competition from the Carthage 2014 Carthage Cinematographic Days.
I then found Mohamed Diab thanks to His second film Clashwhich had precisely opened the Un Certain Regard section during the 69th edition of the Cannes Film Festival in May 2016.
Clash is a difficult film that Mohamed Diab has mastered perfectly. The scenario is very well written and the realization is a real feat. Indeed, for more realism, the director had built a replica of a police van and had shot the whole film there, despite the reduced space in which the actors had to move.
Clash won about fifteen awards at various festivals, including four during the Carthage 2016 cinematographic days (Silver Tanit, Best editing, Best Image And Prix Nejiba Hamrouni for the best feature film). And this year, in Cannes, the film has still won two prizes at Awards Critics : Best scenario and best achievement.
What characterizes Mohamed Diab is the meaning of detail, and especially his choice of themes that give to think. In addition, he dares. He dares to denounce, he dares to approach the angry subjects. In the film Bus women 678 For example, he dared to approach sexual harassment, which was a taboo subject par excellence in our Arab-Muslim societies. In the film Clash He dared to transcend politics to go to humans. He dared to oppose the general opinion which prevailed in Egypt and which tended to demonize the Islamists. He dared to go beyond and try to show these people under a human face.
During the ceremony of Critic AwardsMohamed Diab said she was very happy to meet in Cannes. He is very proud of it, and considers himself very lucky to have had the honor of having been chosen as a member of the jury. He also complimented Uma Thurman for his simplicity and especially his team spirit and his respect for all members of the jury.
Mohamed Diab and his two trophies for his film Clash
During the festival, I had the pleasure of interviewing Mohamed Diab. He answered my few questions very kindly, mainly about his Cannes experience, which he found very enriching, and his future projects.
What are your impressions on this edition of the Cannes Film Festival?
This year is exceptional because it is the 70th anniversary of the festival.
For me last year, although exhausting, was a very beautiful edition since I had a film in competition, and thank God, I had very good criticism. Unfortunately I had not had the possibility of seeing films, while this year, on the contrary, what is great is that I could see a ton: I could not only see the 18 feature films in competition in the a certain look section, but I also tried to make my best to see a maximum of other films.
This edition was for me as an intensive cinema course, an educational experience, especially that when it comes to 70th Birthday, I was able to meet a lot of my idols present for the occasion and even to have the honor to appear among them In the family photo of this anniversary.
Do you think you’ve learned from this experience?
Yes, certainly. What I especially learned was to watch films with other artists and people who understand art. I was able to observe them assess the films, discuss them, argue, disagree … I listened to everyone’s point of view with great attention and an open mind to learn.
It is also certain that watching all the films of the selection so carefully, that is to say 18 feature films, being on the other side, made me understand how and according to what criteria these films were selected. Being a jury member really opened my eyes.
Can you tell us something about of the Tunisian film Beauty and pack ? And if possible what the jury said?
I’m a fan of Kaouthar Ben Hania.
We liked her film. Last year I was in Cannes with my own film Clashwho had opened the a certain look section. I had not won anything and yet each time I meet a member of the jury last year, he tells me that I really liked my film.
So what I learned this year is that there are a lot of films and that sometimes we give a prize to the film about which the members of the jury are not all disagreement. Sometimes I can love a film a lot, sometimes one or two members of the jury can even love another while a third member of the jury will not like him at all. If a single member of the jury does not like a film, we cannot give him a price. A price is ultimately a compromise.
The film Beauty and pack was really very moving. I cried while looking at him. I also said personally to Kaouthar how much I liked him. I think this is the beginning of something very important and that Kaouthar is a very large filmmaker.
Or do you find inspiration for your scenarios?
Most of my inspiration for my scenarios come from my entourage and my observation of people and news. I am very very close to news. I read all the newspapers.
Can you tell us more about the film Decor ? How could a man write everything Maha, a woman, felt?
The film Decor was first written by my sister Sherine. I co-wrote it with her and I think that in terms of the feelings of the woman, they are to be brought to the credit of Sherine. However, in the past, I had written on women in my film Bus women 678. I knew how to describe what they felt. I have always had very good comments from women who told me that I thought this film had been written and directed by a woman.
Members of the Jury Un Certain Regard 2017
And to conclude, can you tell us what are your future projects?
I am setting up a very big budget film project in Hollywood. And I make a film in Palestine, with which I hope to come to Cannes next year or that after. This film Alreadyis inspired by real stories of Palestinian prisoners who are serving long -term sentences in Israeli prisons. He will follow a 17 -year -old Palestinian, conceived by artificial insemination, who leaves in Israel in search of his biological father and who will live a tumultuous love story with a prisoner of his age.
Just like Bus women 678 and Clash, Already will be characterized by a strong female protagonist. I like to show Arab women and crush all stereotypes. In Western films, Arab women are often represented as submissive while in real life, they are often stronger than men.
I wish Mohamed Diab, who, a few days ago, was elected member of the Academy of Arts and Cinema Sciences, in the scriptwriting section, which will allow him to vote for the Oscar for the best screenplay and the Oscar for best film.
Neïla Driss
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