We are proud to showcase the first Egyptian animated feature film created by an Arab crew, whose work is on par with prominent animated films from around the world," said Intishal Al Timimi, Director of El Gouna Film Festival.
El Gouna Film Festival (GFF) has announced that it will be hosting the premiere screening of The Knight & The Princess, the first Egyptian animated feature film, at its third edition, which will take place from September 19 to 27, 2019 in El Gouna, Egypt.
As per a press statement, the festival’s organisers said: “In line with the festivals ongoing efforts to support Arab cinematic voices and to provide them with a regional and international audience, The Knight & The Princess will have its world premiere at the third edition of GFF, before its public release in October.”
The film has been dubbed by several Egyptian actors and actresses including Mohamed Henidi, Medhat Saleh, Donia Smir Ghanem, Maged al-Kedwany, Abdel Rahman Abu Zahra and Abla Kamel, as well as the late Saeed Saleh, Amina Rizk and Mohamed al-Defrawy.
The script was written by Bashir al-Deek, who also directed the film. The illustration work was carried out by the late cartoonist Mostafa Hussein, and the soundtracks were composed by Haitham al-Khamisy.
Commenting on the announcement, Intishal Al Timimi, Director of El Gouna Film Festival said: We are proud to showcase the first Egyptian animated feature film created by an Arab crew, whose work is on par with prominent animated films from around the world. The film not only represents a significant milestone for the Arab film industry but also helps it take crucial steps towards expanding its horizons through a genre that embodies creativity, imagination and talent in a brand new light in the region.”
Remarking on the screening, Amir Ramses, Artistic Director of the Festival added: We are happy to screen The Knight & The Princess at the 3rd edition of GFF. It will surely add value to our lineup, as it not only pioneers in tackling a genre that has been difficult to produce in the Egyptian and Arab film industry, but also marks the comeback of writer and director Bashir El Deek, one of the most celebrated filmmakers of the Egyptian neo-realism.”
Making this film was a huge challenge. We started this project 20 years ago and faced production hurdles all along the way. Yet, we did not allow them to diminish our enthusiasm. We continued to work on the film and made it our mission to prove that we have what it takes to create an Arab animated film without depending on foreign expertise, said Abbas Bin El-Abbas, film producer.
