The talk of Egyptian film circles for the past couple of weeks has been entirely focused on one topic and one topic only: The unexpected success of the newly released comedy “Sharea’ El-Haram” (Haram Street). Slammed by every single critic in the nation, the Eid release shattered Egyptian box-office records, scoring the biggest single day …

By Emma Charlton / AFP When the young Philip Roth warned his parents to brace for a media assault with the release of “Portnoy’s Complaint” in 1969, his mother broke down in tears: she thought he was suffering from delusions of grandeur. Four decades after the novel shot him to stardom, the American literary giant talks …

"Where Do We Go Now?" a bittersweet comedy set in war-torn Lebanon, bested two well-received entries starring George Clooney to win the people’s choice award Sunday at the Toronto International Film Festival. The Cadillac People’s Choice award, which also includes a C$15,000 cash prize, is voted on by festival audiences and has typically been regarded …

Today’s hip-hop is not all about bling and living large. Arab rappers spanning the region are on the frontline of reviving the lost art of socially-conscious rap, proving that hip-hop is very much alive. Hailing from various Arab countries — including Egypt, Tunisia, Lebanon and Palestine — the artists leading this movement voice similar socio-political …

What can the Rolling Stones, Eurythmics and the blockbuster Slumdog Millionaire possibly have in common? More than you think — at least that’s the bet behind Super Heavy, a five-strong super group fronted by Mick Jagger whose new album comes out Monday. Five stars from the worlds of rock, soul, pop, reggae and world music …

South African artist William Kentridge is perhaps best known for his charcoal drawings and videos in which those drawings seem to dance. But he works in a wide variety of media — putting his drawings on stage amid a polyphony of keyboards and brass curious instruments salvaged from antique shops, and text from Shakespeare to …

Last week, Mashrou3 Al-Mareekh (Mars Project) celebrated their 18th open mic event hosted at Downtown’s Makan cultural and art center, with visiting presenter and renowned international art activist Anas ‘Andy’ Shallal. According to Mariam El-Quessny, founder of the Mars Project, “The program acts as an umbrella for various initiatives to promote self-expression amongst Egyptians within …

SHAWNEE MISSION, Kansas: To many non-Muslims, it might come as a surprise to learn that Islam is not a monolithic religion. Practices and observances can and do vary from region to region and from group to group. And headlines in mainstream media, particularly in Western countries, tend to emphasize the less flattering, repressive aspects attributed …

As Greece sinks deeper into a debt crisis that has brought sweeping layoffs, wage cuts and tax hikes, a group of young film-makers are among the few giving the country something to smile about. At the forefront is Yorgos Lanthimos, a TV commercials veteran who made a stunning dash from near-obscurity in 2009 to an …

Lebanon may be known more for its civil strife than its fledgling movie industry, but Nadine Labaki hopes to change all that. The director-actress is out to transform the way the world sees her native country. So far, so good. Her debut feature film "Caramel" did more to overhaul Lebanon’s bullet-punctured image than a dozen …

Myanmar’s revered pro-democracy leader and Nobel peace laureate Aung San Suu Kyi is now also a movie protagonist after Luc Besson’s "The Lady" premiered on Monday at the Toronto film festival. The French director crafted a tender story of love and family tragedy, reaching beyond the political struggle by using private files obtained through sources …

This past Monday, in Downtown Cairo’s Rawabet Theater, novice dance troupe Cramp Group presented a new two-day contemporary dance performance by choreographer Mounir Saeed titled “The Streets.” “I wanted to re-create on stage the concept of ‘the street’ in Cairo and how each street in common areas of Egypt — such as Imbaba, Ain Shams, …

Disaster blockbuster director Roland Emmerich is sure to rile fans of Shakespeare with his latest movie, "Anonymous," for questioning the lionized bard’s authorship of preeminent plays. Theories abound. Some point to Shakespeare’s famed contemporaries Francis Bacon and Christopher Marlowe as the real authors. The film "Anonymous," which premiered on Monday at the Toronto International Film …

Algerian born Rachid Koraïchi won the £25,000 Jameel Prize for a selection of embroidered cloth banners from a series entitled “Les Maitres invisibles” (The Invisible Masters), 2008. Martin Roth, Director of the Victoria and Albert Museum, Hasan Jameel and Ed Vaizey, MP, presented Rachid Koraïchiwith the prize at a ceremony at the V&A on Monday, …

Divorced and recently remarried director Sarah Polley showed moviegoers an unhappy woman at the end of a relationship in her new film "Take This Waltz," which premiered at the Toronto film festival on Sunday. She insists, however, that the film is not autobiographical. The script was actually hatched on the set of her directorial debut …

Venice film festival winner Alexander Sokurov has remained an enigma in Russia whose art nearly landed him in a Soviet prison and who was only kept in his country by the beauty of the Hermitage. The 60-year-old Siberian with the penetrating gaze and uninhibited camera began to develop a reputation for poetic but severe work …

I was somewhat surprised not to have heard of the latest publication discussing the contemporary Egyptian art scene released this past August. A book titled “Thawret El Looool: Chats with Young Egyptian Artists” written by Mariam Elias, aims to create links between young contemporary artists, their work and the generation to which they belong. Furious …

Darkness descends on Venice as the film festival draws to a close, with tales of brutality, callousness, chilling indifference and failed relationships all vying for the Golden Lion award. With only one red carpet to go, festivities in the floating city are winding up, the stream of wild parties with star guests over, as the …

There’s a broader vibe than the usual Hollywood A-listers this year at the Toronto International Film Festival, one of the world’s top cinema showcases and a prelude for contenders at the Academy Awards. Stars such as George Clooney, Brad Pitt, Rachel Weisz, Michelle Williams, Glenn Close, Robert De Niro and Viggo Mortensen are on the …

By Ella Ide / AFP VENICE: Love gasps for air in Japanese director Sion Sono’s anguished portrait of a post-tsunami Japan in “Himizu,” the hotly anticipated adaptation of a manga novel competing for Venice’s Golden Lion. Haunting images of devastation among the ruins of Ishinomaki in northern Japan after the March 11 disaster set the scene …

By Ella Ide / AFP As the ozone layer disintegrates and the world prepares for certain doom in “4:44 Last Day on Earth,” man is left with just one question: ‘to be or not to be?’, to commit suicide or stay and watch? Hamlet’s philosophical quandary plagues New Yorker Cisco, the protagonist in US independent filmmaker …

Greek director Yorgos Lanthimos’ latest film, "Alps," proposes a novel, if disquieting, technique for grief counseling. "Alps" is the name chosen to designate an ad-hoc group whose members stand in for deceased loved ones, purportedly to help the grieving through the transition. The first four sessions are free of charge. So, a blind woman hires …

By Joseph Fahim The very first Egyptian film I reviewed was “Katkout,” the 2006 Mohamed Saad star-vehicle that became the former king of comedy’s last bona-fide commercial hit. In the years since, I’ve grown to regard mainstream cinema in a different light, driven by an interest in what the story, choice of mise-en-scène and characterization say …